(inset: Speaker of Parliament takes a group photo with members of the UMA Board)

Hon Rebecca Kadaga has pledged to make a mid-term review of the National Development Plan II (NDP II) to have industrialization fully incorporated.

The pledge was made during the UMA Networking Business Luncheon that was held on 23^rd May 2019 under the theme Manufacturing Focused Budgeting for National Development in which the speaker of Parliament was Chief Guest of Honor.

She made these remarks while responding to manufacturers’ plea for Parliament under its committee on Trade Tourism & Industry to make a mid-term review of the National Development Plan II whose implementation, they say lacked work plans lacked geared towards industrialization in-spite of focus on industrialization for job creation. Hon. Kadaga acknowledged that “indeed the 2016-2021 NDPII

According to Mr. Birungi, the inability for budget to reflect growth of manufacturing speaks to a number of issues such as the Adhoc and uncoordinated policy environment characterized by rhetoric of industrial development with no clear framework to facilitate industrialization.

He further noted that the importance of manufacturing for job creation and shared prosperity should be matched by a comprehensive industrial strategy and policy that ties together efforts in this regard.

Over the last three years government’s budget theme has been rhymed on industrialization for job creation and shared prosperity. In-spite of this however, government’s allocation of funds has not signaled movement towards the promotion of manufacturing in Uganda, which nonetheless is recognized globally as the panacea to economic growth, development and as such job creation as stipulated in Uganda’s Vision 2040.

UMA lobbies President for local content in Gov’t procurement

The president has tasked UMA to consolidate a list of locally produced items which merit consideration for procurement by government to be submit­ted to the Principle Permanent Secretary Office of the Presi­dent. He also directed them to compile all overdue invoices for the supply of items to Govern­ment (MDA’s).

He made this communication to the UMA board and adviso­ry council members, who met him at state house on 16th Oc­tober, 2018. This meeting was a fulfillment of the request that the President made to the Man­ufacturers during the trade fair 2018 with the view of tackling core issues stagnating competi­tiveness of industrialists.

The issues presented by UMA included among others local content main streaming, Power cost to US cent 5/kwh, facili­tating the implementation of UDC/UDB investment strategy, export guarantee insurance, harmonization of investment incentives regime in Uganda, industrial poli­cy and strategy develop­ment in Uganda, plastics manufacturers invest­ment dilemma, (kaveera mystery) as well issues of tax administration.