Ssekandi meets top India businesses leaders

PIC: Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi meeting Maharashtra governor Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan palace in Mumba in India

BUSINESS

INDIA - Vice-President Edward Ssekandi has met the President of the All India Association, Vijay Kalantri, to seal a deal of co-operation in trade between the two counries.

During the meeting at the Mumbai Trade Centre in India, Kalantri said Uganda should take advantage of the arrangement in which the government of India is to establish an Indian-African Institute of Foreign Trade to target specific sectors for collaboration between both the countries like natural resources, agriculture/agro-processing, infrastructure development and  ICT.

The Institute of Foreign Trade (IAIFT) is one of the five institutes offered by India at the pan-Africa level to further co-operation between the India and African countries.

Other areas where India has better expertise, Kalantri said, could include mining and mineral development, energy, healthcare and tourism, which he said fits in well whith India Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of strengthening collaboration with African countries.

Ssekandi, on the other hand welcomed the collaboration, saying partnering in sectors such as agribusiness, manufacturing, mining, ICT and infrastructure development in which India has vast knowledge was crucial.

He said that was the reason Uganda organised the first Uganda-India Investment Summit to showcase Uganda and promised a better arrangement in the subsequent years, where Ugandan companies would participate in the trade show.
 
During the meeting, three letters of Intent (LoIs) by Indian businessmen with the respective government agencies of Uganda were initiated for signing after verification by Kampala in the energy and mining sectors.

The managing director Exim Bank, David Rasquinha, called on Indian companies to explore opportunities in the food processing sector, especially in processing fruits such as pineapple, which he said offer promising returns.

Uganda-Mumbai Honorary Consul Mumbai Madhusudan Agrawal said Ssekandi's visit along with a high-level delegation was an indication of the importance the Government of Uganda attaches to the bilateral partnership with India.

Ssekand later met the governor of Maharashtra, Vidyasagar Rao, in Mumbai with whom they discussed collaboration and trade relations between Uganda, India and Maharashtra state.

According to the discussion, the trade would focus on promoting the medium, small and micro enterprises in Uganda, which Ssekandi said would provide employment and also improve household income.