Jua Kali fair opens

Nov 04, 2002

THE tariff and non-tariff barriers within East Africa, are preventing the region from competing favourably in international trade, James Bwatuti, the chairman, Confederation of Informal Sector Organisations in East Africa, said yesterday.

By Ricks Kayizzi

THE tariff and non-tariff barriers within East Africa, are preventing the region from competing favourably in international trade, James Bwatuti, the chairman, Confederation of Informal Sector Organisations in East Africa, said yesterday.

“The global market no longer recognises small scale industries, as demand for products is so big to be sustained by those industries,” he said, adding: “We need to merge our economies in order to break into these markets.”

He was speaking during the official launching of the 4th East African Regional Jua Kali exhibition, at the Lugogo showgrounds.

He said that economical regional integration, through the creation of a customs union, has become the surest way of integrating the people of the region through market exposure, acquisition of technical expertise and social contact.

Bwatuti said that although the Jua Kali initiative is one of the most successful programmes being carried out by the east African secretariat, courtesy of the East African Union, leaders in the member countries have turned decision making into a political tool.

“However, with a 5 percent GDP growth rate within the region, and consumer population of 100m people, the East African region is set to become the biggest trade block in sub-Saharan Africa, outside of South Africa.”

Prof. Edward Rugumayo, the tourism, trade and industry minister, who represented President Museveni at the opening, called upon large and medium scale industries in Uganda to start contracting small scale industries to produce spare parts for them.

“Smallscale industries are moving economies around the world. You should stop disregarding products coming out of small workshops,” he said.

The show, which is to last between Nov. 3-10, is being held under the theme: Commercialising Jua Kali Technology and Products in the 21st Century for regional integration.”

It has brought together about regional 400 small scale industrialists.

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