The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Sanjay Tanna has held a meeting with members of Uganda Manufacturers (UMA) in a bid to strengthen the partnership between his ministry and UMA in promoting Uganda’s industrialization agenda.
The high-level dialogue brought together both government and the private sector to tackle the pressing challenges faced by manufacturers and chat a clear path for industrial growth.
In a meeting that has taken place at the home of manufacturers in Lugogo, on behalf of UMA, Richard Mubiru, a board member and chairman of the Economic Business Policy Committee raised critical issues of concern to the manufacturers, including the need to revisit the Employment Act, specifically severance pay, alongside a review of excise duties, other taxes, and the 30% upfront deposit required by URA for Tax Tribunal appeals.
UMA called for a deliberate action to transition the informal sector into formal, promote decent employment, enforcement of association membership, and a structured industrial licensing framework.
In his remarks, Hon. Tanna declared that the Ministry’s “first war” is data collection, with ongoing efforts to digitalize databases to drive evidence-based policy formulation and implementation. He advised manufacturers to adopt net metering to stabilize power costs and urged massive investment in agro-processing as a national duty.
The Minister told the manufacturers that they have a critical role to play in achieving Uganda’s Ten-Fold Growth Strategy under the National Development Plan IV which targets a 500 billion USD economy. He urged the manufacturers to align their investments with government’s four core pillars; Agro-industrialization, Tourism development, Mineral Development, and Science, Technology & Innovation.
The line minister in charge of Industry Hon. David Bahati reiterated government’s commitment to industrialization, highlighting that Uganda no longer imports industrial sugar, which is a major milestone for the country. He confirmed that industrial mapping is underway and licensing legislation is being finalized. With the industrial sector now contributing 27.4% to GDP and government steadfastly targeting the 5-cents-per-unit electricity tariff for factories, he closed by urging manufacturers to “work with us as your mother ministry.”
The meeting underscored a shared commitment to systems, digitalized data, and direct engagement as the cornerstones of Uganda’s industrialization agenda.
