Museveni renews calls for exporting
May 20, 2003
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni repeated his call to the local business community to add value to exports as a way of promoting growth and transforming the economy
By Raymond Mikah and Steven Odeu
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni repeated his call to the local business community to add value to exports as a way of promoting growth and transforming the economy.
He said failure to do this limits employment opportunities and is the only remedy to the continued weakening of the Uganda shilling against the dollar. He said Uganda must shift from importing goods to an export based economy.
Museveni, who was speaking at the swearing-in of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) branch executives at Nile Hotel on Monday said, “For long you have been importing without exporting. This culture does not promote the transformation of our country. For how long shall we go like this, yet we are among the richest countries in the world,†he asked.
He said cotton and coffee should no longer be exported before being processed into higher value items.
He said that one earns only $1 by exporting unprocessed cotton, however, when this is transformed into a final product Ugandans would be earning $10.
He said traders should not complain of excessive taxes, because the Government does not tax exports.
“The other day I was meeting some traders and they were crying of taxes, but I told them they were suffering from self-implicated problem, because government does not tax exports. Even imports we discriminate especially on raw materials and agricultural machinery,†he said.
Olive Kigongo, the UNNCI president, expressed concern at the duplication of roles. She said having several associations and agencies confused and burdened the business community, donors and some government departments.
She appealed for government intervention to resolve the problem and building a strong private sector.
Kigongo also appealed for official financial and technical support to help UNCCI take a leading role in local private sector development.
She said UNCCI unity had been restored compared to the former rifts that hamstrung the organisation.
She also announced the availability of new secretariat offices to cater for members enquiries. This also includes a new business centre.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni repeated his call to the local business community to add value to exports as a way of promoting growth and transforming the economy.
He said failure to do this limits employment opportunities and is the only remedy to the continued weakening of the Uganda shilling against the dollar. He said Uganda must shift from importing goods to an export based economy.
Museveni, who was speaking at the swearing-in of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) branch executives at Nile Hotel on Monday said, “For long you have been importing without exporting. This culture does not promote the transformation of our country. For how long shall we go like this, yet we are among the richest countries in the world,†he asked.
He said cotton and coffee should no longer be exported before being processed into higher value items.
He said that one earns only $1 by exporting unprocessed cotton, however, when this is transformed into a final product Ugandans would be earning $10.
He said traders should not complain of excessive taxes, because the Government does not tax exports.
“The other day I was meeting some traders and they were crying of taxes, but I told them they were suffering from self-implicated problem, because government does not tax exports. Even imports we discriminate especially on raw materials and agricultural machinery,†he said.
Olive Kigongo, the UNNCI president, expressed concern at the duplication of roles. She said having several associations and agencies confused and burdened the business community, donors and some government departments.
She appealed for government intervention to resolve the problem and building a strong private sector.
Kigongo also appealed for official financial and technical support to help UNCCI take a leading role in local private sector development.
She said UNCCI unity had been restored compared to the former rifts that hamstrung the organisation.
She also announced the availability of new secretariat offices to cater for members enquiries. This also includes a new business centre.