Mwebesa hands over to Tanna as new trade minister

During the ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Lynette Bagonza, said Mwebesa’s calm leadership has been able to see the country’s exports grow to record levels.

Alero Tom Aza, incoming Minister of State for Cooperatives (R) being welcomed at the ministry by Permanent Secretary, Lynette Bagonza. (Courtesy photo)

“You worked closely with the technical teams, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the private sector, development partners, and other stakeholders to advance Uganda’s economic agenda,” she said.

“Your calm leadership, accessibility, and commitment to service have left a strong institutional foundation upon which the Ministry will continue to build. During the last 5 years, Uganda’s export earnings more than doubled from approximately $6.3b in 2021 to about $13.2b in 2025.

Tanna urged staff to embrace a corporate culture of efficiency, an open-door policy, and result-oriented performance.

“In the corporate world, you call each other by first name... time is of essence. When Museveni stands there and says ‘Sanjay no sleep’, I don’t want you guys to joke about it. I want you to take it seriously,” he said.

“We come from a background where sugar was not available, milk was not available... even Panadol was not available in this country. But so much has changed over the years. I take this moment to pay tribute to my predecessor, Hon Mwebesa and the entire team that has put in efforts to make sure that this ministry is at the level where it is today.”

Mwebesa encouraged Tanna to focus on improving the industrial sector as well as the cooperative movement in the country.

“We do not have a chamber of commerce and industry. So, Hon Mbadi knows about this. I would be very happy to hear that Uganda has got a chamber of commerce and industry. Two, is the formation of the cooperative bank,” he said.