Govt told to set up trade hubs to help women

By Abou Kisige

GOVERNMENT has been asked to set up trade hubs along border posts to help women involved in trade, State minister of Gender and Culture Lukia Nakadama has said.

“These hubs can be one-stop facilities which could also work with other border agencies to help improve on the trade environment for business women in East Africa,” Nakadama said.  

Nakadama made the remarks during the grand opening of Zain Forex Bureau on Kampala Road owned by the Pakistan Community of Uganda.

She pledged to work with the ministry of trade and Industry to place more women in the informal cross-border trade hubs and enhance their business skills.

Nakadama explained that establishing trade hubs is one of the initiatives in line with the gender and trade project being implemented by the East African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) at five border points.

The borders include the Busia/Kenya border, Bibia/South Sudan, Katuna/Rwanda and the Mutukula/Tanzania borders.

Nakadama asked Pakistan investors to take advantage of Uganda’s vast natural resources and its regional strategic location to set up businesses in value addition and packaging.

“Uganda is fast-becoming a business hub because of its strategic location in the Great Lakes Region with easy access to the East African Community that boasts of over 140 million consumers and some 400 million COMESA consumers, “ Nakadama said.

The Ugandan minister told the investors that Uganda had investment opportunities in the tourism sector, packaging industry, value addition of local products – especially agro-based, energy and transport, among others.

The chairman of the Pakistan Association of Uganda Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the working relations between Uganda and Pakistan has facilitated impressive development programs in both countries and also the trade sector.
“We appreciate the understanding, support and corporation the Ugandan nationals have rendered to us. I only urge Ugandans to use the prevailing relations to export more finished goods to Pakistan,” Rasheed said.

The managing director of Zain Forex bureau Iftikar Sikandar Cheema pledged continued corporation and support from the Pakistan people living here especially in agriculture, health tourism business and technical sector.

The function was graced by the state minister for culture Sulaiman Madada and leaders of the Pakistan Association of Uganda including Iftikar Sikandar Cheema, Shahid Mahmood and Naeem Chopra.

Others included Gulam Rabbani, Mahmood Naroon, Zeshan Arshad and over 300 Pakistan nationals living in the country….