Africa-Press – Uganda. The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has launched a consultation process meant to support Uganda’s manufacturing firms to access foreign high-value markets using an information portal that connects them to potential buyers.
Ugandan firms are currently faced with the problem of limited market access besides having the problem of small quantities to meet the demand in the existing markets.
The Export Firm Support (EFS) programme is implemented by PSFU with funding from development partners including the governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom working under the World Bank.
The objective of the programme is to boost Ugandan firm to export value-added manufactured products to regional and high-income markets. It will support potential and existing exporters to enter new export markets and expand their presence.
According to a joint statement by the development partners and Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the support will focus on upgrading firms’ organisational and production capacities and their capabilities to deliver to the demand of foreign buyers.
They explained that funding for the EFS programme falls under Window III of the World Bank-administered Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which mobilizes donor contributions and invests in strategic areas to promote the effective implementation of Uganda’s National Development Plans.
“Activities under MDTF’s Window III focus on promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth and job creation. Uganda requires higher numbers of new jobs to match the pace of labour force growth. More than half a million Ugandans enter the job market every year,” the press statement reads in part.
They said that EFS programme is expected to run over four years and complement the larger World Bank-funded Investment for Industrial Transformation and Employment Program (INVITE), which is still awaiting government approval.
The EFS will help exporters and potential exporters with the assistance of local and international consultants to identify export opportunities and meet consumer demand through specialized technical assistance and capacity-building activities.
The ESF will focus on formal private business entities that are legally established and headquartered in Uganda and with established business interests in the targeted manufacturing and semi-manufacturing sectors.
An online platform has been developed to allow easy submission of applications following a call for applications from eligible firms. Only applications submitted online will be accepted and processed.
Four calls for applications are anticipated in a four-year period. Following the online assessment, which will entail a diagnostic of the firm, the business consultants will develop an export development plan, financed by both the eligible firm and the EFS programme.
The development partners and the PSFU said firms may receive support from consultants that are established in the target markets and have knowledge and access to specific clients.
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