Uganda maps out plan to raise exports
The Uganda Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives last week unveiled its latest blueprint to increase exports and make locally made goods more competitive outside the country.
According to a ministerial briefing paper, ‘The ultimate objective of the Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Sector is to significantly contribute to wealth and employment creation as well as to transform Uganda from a poor into a modern and prosperous society.’
The Main objective of the conference is to conduct a review of the performance of the Sector since the 6th Annual Joint Sector Review Conference of 17th September 2015.
This will also provide an opportunity to establish feasible interventions and strategies to boost the Sector in taking into consideration the recent developments within the region and our economy.
Among the key points for discussion are performance targets and outputs for Financial Year 2016/17; appraise the stakeholders on new developments in the Policy, Strategic and Regulatory environment of the Sector.
Participants also had to identify and generate consensus on priority interventions that the sector should consider for incorporation in the Planning and Budgeting Process for Financial Year 2017/18.
Meanwhile trade minister, Amelia Kyambadde got an unpdate of Uganda’s fortunes in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty-free/quota-free arrangement with the United States.
According to a statement, Susan Muhwezi, who heads the AGOA docket told the Minister that the strategy is focused on identifying five key products that Uganda can capitalize on and can easily penetrate the US market.
She said AGOA has been a challenge to Uganda because most Ugandans do not a clear perception of the American market. AGOA has been in existence since the early 2000s and recently extended to 2025.
“We need to concentrate on the right products by identifying three or five key products where we have a comparative advantage and brand them Uganda, if we are to benefit from AGOA in the next 9 years left”, Muhwezi said.
She said Uganda needs to be focused and offer the Americans what they need if we are benefit from AGOA.
Kyambadde said Uganda will undertake a study on some of the proposed key products in the Draft National AGOA Strategy including shea butter, ginger and cocoa and explore the possibilities of building capacity of these products through increased productivity, improved quality and standards and value addition.