TOURISM, trade and industry ministry officials have been overwhelmed by the high interest shown by the business community to export to the United States market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) quota and tariff free policy.

Davies Bamuleseyo, the ministry's desk officer in- charge of AGOA said on average, five people every day visit the ministry offices at Farmers House on Parliament Avenue in Kampala, seeking information on how to export under AGOA, while 250 others have already registered with the ministry.

"A lot of enthusiasm and interest have arisen among Uganda's business community as characterised by the over 250 business people who have registered in the ministry as interested in AGOA and there is an average five people inquiring on AGOA everyday," Bamuleseyo said.

Bamuleseyo was speaking at the Information Network Uganda meeting held at Parliament Building. Information Network is an association of individuals and organisations rallied around the theme, "Information Communications Technology for Development."

Vincent Waiswa, its coordinator, said the meeting was meant to see how information communications technology (ICT) can facilitate growth and expansion of AGOA.

Bamuleseyo said the challenges to operationalise AGOA, have been great to the extent that todate, two and half years since the initiative was launched, no substantial exports have been shipped to the United States.

He said this was because the United States market is new to the Ugandan community.