Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni has dispatched a team of experts and scientists from State House led by Ms Sheba Kyobutungi to identify more potential for community-led industrialisation across the country.
“Value addition is a key priority for President Museveni and the government. When we add value to our products, we are able to earn more from selling them as finished products. This explains why many other countries have been able to transform even when they do not produce their own materials,” Ms Kyobutungi said yesterday.
She added that their visit is in line with the President’s vision to see that the country’s economic development accelerates through industrialisation.
Ms Kyobutungi said this agenda falls within the National Development Plan III’s first objectives, including enhancing value addition in key growth opportunities and enhancing the productivity and social well-being of the population among others.
She said the team had come up with a number of recommendations from feedback from the community.
“The message of value addition should continue to be spread and supported. The team is also seeking guidance from the President and will follow up to ensure that these actions are undertaken,” Ms Kyobutungi added.
She said they visited various cooperatives, individual manufacturers and local leaders in western region, including milk producers and processors, farmers, wineries, coffee production and processing facilities.
In Ntungamo District, Ms Kyobutungi said the team met Mr Nelson Tugume, the founder of Inspire Africa, who is in the process of setting up a coffee processing facility.
Dr Hillary Emmanuel Musoke Kisanja, the private secretary to the President in-charge of value addition, said the programme would be the lasting solution to industrialisation.
The move to double efforts in industrialisation comes at a time when President Museveni has decried the colossal loss of revenue to foreign manufacturers who buy Uganda’s raw materials at a pittance, only to return finished products to sell at exorbitant prices.
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