UGANDA's exports to the United States have more than doubled in the last year, rising to $35m in 2003, up from $15.2m in 2002, an American consultant has said.

Exports in 2001 to the US were $17.8m, Rosa Whitaker, president of the Whitaker Group, and a former assistant US trade representative for Africa said.

The increase, which represents a 129% rise, she said, was because of the opportunities provided by the duty and quota-free African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) which started in 2000.

"Uganda started late on AGOA, but we are pleased with the progress it has made since 2002," Whitaker said.

"In 2002, there was a two-year decline in Uganda's exports to the US, but this changed positively in 2003," she said.

Whitaker said there was a potential for even greater figures, but there was need for capacity building among farmers, exporters, and getting products certified.

"Out of the figure, agricultural products registered a 139% increment from 2002 to 2003, going up from $13.7m to $32.8m, while textiles and apparel went up by 159% from $0.001m in 2002 to $1.6m in 2003," said Whitaker.

Presenting the progress report on Africa and Uganda in particular, Whitaker said politics should be kept out of AGOA because of the potential it had in earning foreign exchange.

She said this year AGOA would celebrate its fourth anniversary and they were lobbying for the extension of the project for Africa to fight poverty.

Whitaker said Africa's loss of markets cost it $900b between 1970 and 1993, because of declining exports. "But she got $445b in aid between 1960 and 2001," she said.

Latest AGOA Trade Data on AGOA.info


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