BUSINESS | EXPO | WEST NILE 

ARUA - Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in West Nile to benefit from the open market during a business expo in Arua City.

The business expo set to start on Wednesday (July 6) at the Arua City council complex land will attract businessmen and women from West Nile, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

Addressing the media on Monday (June 4) in Arua City, John Ezuma, the district commercial officer in Arua, said the expo will expose the hidden business and skills and link the entrepreneurs to the authorities that regulate and guide business.

"It will make the businesses get a wider market, identify new customers and boost their capacity. Uganda is looking into uplifting pockets of its citizens for healthy living and economic stability at home," he said.

Ezuma said this will help achieve the vision 2040 strategy of making poor Ugandans out of poverty. 

The expo will help business people access registration for their businesses through partnerships with Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

He asked the business community to take advantage to register their businesses, saying registered businesses come with better benefits. 

"West Nile is exposed to markets in South Sudan and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo," Ezuma added.

The commercial officer asked business people to legalise their businesses to avoid clashes with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

William Draku, the URSB regional manager Arua office, said several businesses operate without registration thereby blocking them from accessing benefits. 

He says out of the over 45m Ugandans, only 800,000 businesses are registered in the entire country.

This makes it difficult for some business owners to access loans, and grants from different organizations and financial entities. During the business expo, URSB services will be provided to support the owners register their businesses.

Elizabeth Amen Daniels the Tourist Officer Obongi district said the expo will enhance the tourism base in West Nile and market those unknown sites.