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UGANDAN

15th Sept 2012
London United Kingdom

2012

UK Convention

Summary Report

2nd Ugandan UK Convention
A Diaspora Trade and Investment Expo 2012
theme “aspiring for Sustainable Prosperity”

www.ugandanconventionuk.org
My call to all Ugandans
feelings of care, of belonging, of
wanting to see our people flourish,
come out of poverty, and be healthy,
that so many of us attend such an
event, determined to get involved, to
make a difference. This desire to ‘do
our bit’ is the best foundation from
which to start putting down the first
building blocks.
Uganda abounds with opportunities. I
do not think that lack of capital should
deter anyone from getting involved.
More and more, the government and
other institutions, as well as new
laws, make it easier for anyone to set
up business or invest in partnership
with others, in so many ways and in
so many different sectors.
Willy Mutenza - Chairman

I

t is a great pleasure for me to
write these few words about the
momentous event that has been
the 2nd Uganda Convention UK
, that took place on 15th September
12 in London .
We have been truly blessed to have
had so many outstanding speakers
and guests, and very many delegates,
who hold Uganda dear to their hearts.
Without this love and dedication
to our home country, an event such
as the convention would be a futile
exercise indeed.

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It is precisely because we have these
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All investment and activities, however
small they appear to be, do make a
difference on the ground in Uganda
. We all know how microfinance
can turn a family’s welfare around,
where the most pressing hardships are
eradicated in a very short time.
In her wonderful book ‘My life’s
Journey, Janet Museveni mentions
that mindsets need to change in order
for change to take place on the ground.
Ugandans in the Diaspora have that
power to change mindsets back in
Uganda . They have seen, learnt and
lived many new ways of life and
work, which could all be the keys
needed back home to open and enrich

minds in ways that money could never
achieve. Shared knowledge can be
just as precious as capital investment.
After hearing our guests speak, I trust
that no one has any doubt any more that
the whole of Uganda is calling on its
‘scattered children’ across the world
to come back and plant some seeds
of the enriching lessons and harvests
they have gathered in those far away
lands. It is our love for our country
that will ensure Uganda will flourish.
Not one of us should rest easy until
we have all made a difference, small
or big, even if it just to ensure that a
young child can remain in school for
one year, or provide a bicycle for a
District Nurse.
I am filled with complete confidence
that much will be achieved, following
this Convention. I want to encourage
every single one of you to aspire to
make a difference to the future of
Uganda . We owe it to all our brothers
and sisters in Uganda , we owe it to
ourselves, and we owe it to the world.
Willy Mutenza
Chairman
Uganda Convention-UK
Mobile: +447790 647 089
Email:
info@ugandanconventionuk.org
Website:
www.ugandanconventionuk.org
Videos:
www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk

Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
Transcript of the

Rt Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga
Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament
information on five areas of opportunities
available for the delegates to tap in:

The Speaker noted that the 50th anniversary of
Uganda’s independence was an opportunity for
people to reflect on who they are and what they
can do for themselves and their country. She
reminded delegates that when we received the
instruments of office in 1962, we did not expect
our citizens to live abroad permanently. “But
circumstances of different kind forced people
of Uganda to leave the country to settle initially
perhaps only temporarily, which later became
more permanent”, she lamented.
Hon. Kadaga reminded delegates that many
Ugandans living abroad have studied and made
careers there, and have therefore developed
much capacity in finances and technologies.
And that they should now harness joint
resources and make a difference in the country.
She reported that the Government of Uganda
had responded by facilitating dual citizenship
for Ugandans, thereby facilitating work and
investment in either or both countries.
Hon. Kadaga invited them to market Uganda,
to speak for Uganda, to invest in Uganda but
more importantly to visit Uganda.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker then proceeded to share

The Rt. Hon Speaker reminded delegates of
the opportunities in the oil, gas, mining and
energy areas.
Rt. Hon. Speaker informed delegates that
Uganda’s unique placement in the area had
turned it into a food basket for the region.
With a favourable climate and great seasons,
there are many opportunities in commercial
agriculture and also in food processing.
Hon. Kadaga invited delegates to take interest in
the banking industry which is one of the fastest

She assured them that the aviation industry in
Uganda continues to grow. Uganda is serviced
by over 14 airlines and plans are under way
to attract more airlines through the planned
expansion of the airport, as well as improving
other facilities needed there.
The local transport industry is another area she
identified as growing. In the absence of public
government transport, this is an area they could
consider, especially for Kampala, Jinja and
other towns. She also advised them to consider
the rail industry.
Hon. Kadaga singled out industrialisation as the
most important sector for them to get interested
in. She said that for far too long, Uganda has
sent raw materials into the market, but now
was important for Uganda to export finished
products. She therefore called upon delegates
to invest in industries that will not only support
agriculture but will also create markets and
employment opportunities for the millions of
Ugandans who are unemployed.
Hon. Kadaga informed the convention that
Uganda has the advantage of a fairly educated
population, possibly not very skilled in certain
technologies but she was confident that
Ugandans are very adaptable. She invited
delegates to invest in higher education,
polytechnics and vocation schools. She added
that if one invested in education in Uganda,
they would have an advantage throughout East
Africa because many people from Rwanda,
Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania study in Uganda,
still the education destination of choice in the
East African community.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker concluded her address
by thanking everybody for listening to her. She
called upon the ministers present to elaborate
on the areas that the delegates wanted to learn
about. She ended by reiterating her delight
to be at the convention and that all she had
shared was for God and her country.
Video at: www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk

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“Fellow Ugandans” Hon Kadaga said, “I also
want to thank you all in the Diaspora for the
contribution to our economy which we cannot
take for granted. We really want to thank you
for your support.”

The Rt Hon Speaker shared some statistics
about Uganda’s population and housing sector:
The population of Uganda is growing at a rate
of 3.2 % which means that the bulk of the
population is below 35 years. These are young
people, most of them in the lower and middle
income group, will need houses
Currently, Uganda has a deficit of more than
2million housing units just for the urban areas
although it is a fact that this population will need
schools, quality hospitals and quality recreation
facilities
The oil industry which has recently been
discovered will bring new opportunities. Uganda
expects to receive more expatriates with their
families and their support services. They will
need satellite cities in different parts of Uganda,
facilities unique to them, opportunities that she
would like delegates to explore
Uganda has become the UN regional office
for Africa. This presents opportunities as they
require office space, housing and sports and
other facilities.

She informed delegates that Government is
constructing the Entebbe-Kampala express
highway to minimise inconvenience to travellers
on that route. She said the government is
expected to construct additional facilities like
flyovers within the city and in other towns to
ease their movements so that they are not
inconvenienced.

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he Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda,
Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga started her
address by extending greetings to the
delegates from the President, Parliament and
the people of Uganda.

The Tourism Industry, where for example
lodges can be set up along the crater lakes
of the Rift Valley; or along Lake Nyatoto, the
Kazinga channel and the hills of Bunyaruguru.
She mentioned the rich and unique history of
various kingdoms that could be marketed as
well, especially the Karamoja area, where the
First Lady has done a good job to bring up the
welfare of these people. The Karamoja people
have a unique way of life with a rich heritage
and she urged delegates to take an interest
in the Karamoja area and visit it. Uganda has
Lake Victoria, Lake George, Lake Kyoga,
Lake Edward and the River Nile and boat
cruises and water rafting are still unexploited
possibilities. She called on delegates to take
interest in the water transport and in leisure
boats on all the lakes.

growing sectors in the Ugandan economy.
Transcript of the

H.E. Mrs. Janet Kataaha Museveni,
First Lady of the Republic of Uganda and Minister for Karamoja Affairs
They set to work with the cooperation of
the UPDF, who reinforced the disarmament
exercise by including the Karamojong
elders who, in turn, helped by mobilising
the youth for peace. The police galvanised
the numbers to ensure that law and order
was in place and Local Defence Units
(LDUs) were trained by police to ensure that
communication at the grassroots was easy,
as LDUs were Karamojong themselves.
As security forces continued to stabilise
villages and communities, they started new
initiatives on food production.

T

he First Lady of Uganda and
Minister for Karamoja Affairs
started her speech by expressing
great pleasure to be at the 2nd
Uganda Convention in UK.

She conveyed greetings from the President
and all the people of Uganda and said it was
gratifying to know that Ugandans in London
are still interested to know about what is
happening in Uganda, and especially in a
corner like Karamoja, which most people
don’t normally really care about.
Hon. Museveni informed the delegates that
she came to the convention in response to
an invitation by the chairman Mr. Willy
Mutenza, to share her experience, successes
and challenges in her work in Karamoja.

The Minister reminded delegates that she
was given this assignment in 2009, when
the region at that time, had just been through
a drought for three years. She said the region
was dry, there was shortage of food but
surprisingly the cattle were not as thin as she
had expected. There was shortage of water
for both people and cattle. The situation was
bleak and people had no hope for anything
to change. She reminded delegates of the
expression that was so common that “the
rest of Uganda cannot wait for Karamoja to
develop”

Mrs Museveni shared that some few years
before she was appointed, the president
has pitched camp in Karamoja for three
month and had launched the disarmament
programme
which
was
on-going.
Unfortunately, she said, the poverty levels
were the engine that drove conflict and
insecurity in the region. Therefore, there
was a need to get God’s own wisdom and
inspiration that would breathe life back to
this devastated region of Uganda.
She wondered how many delegates
remembered the biblical story in the book
of Ezekiel Chapter 37, which talks about the
valley of bones.The First Lady said,” If you
know it, you will understand that, if God
could raise the valley of the dry bones into a
standing army of Israel, then Karamoja was
nothing to God, for God can do all things”.
Therefore” she said, “our work in Karamoja
started with a lot of prayer and believing in
God to lead our plans”.

Having recognised that the women who form
the bulk of farmers in Karamoja, as they do
in the rest of Africa, were too weak and too
discouraged to plough and plant enough to
get them out of the vicious cycle of famine
and food relief, they initiated a tractor hire
scheme, whereby a commercial firm was
brought in to plough, harrow and plant an
agreed acreage for identified vulnerable
households and women groups to ensure
that they would get adequate quantities of
food. Her ministry, and NAADS, Ministry
Of Agriculture and other donor agencies
supplied seeds and other planting materials.
They started by opening up some 2300 acres
for vulnerable households at that time. In the
last season, they opened up 20,000 acres and
planted food in all the districts of Karamoja.
This is over and above what some farmers
manage to do for themselves.
“Presently”, she said, “some able farmers
make independent arrangements with
commercial farms to hire tractors to open up
land. Others are already asking government
to help them acquire tractors, while others
are beginning to discuss ways they can come
together, as farmer associations can bring in
big harvests, manage their produce better
and obtain better prices on the market for
their produce.
She assured delegates that the mind-set of
the people in Karamoja is already changing

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Her first task, Mrs.Museven said, was to
conduct a monitoring tour of all the 41
sub-counties of Karamoja to understand
the development and challenges faced by
these people. Through dialogue with the

grassroots population and communities
interaction, she was exposed to the pains
and suffering of the ordinary families in
Karamoja. “I touched the depth of the
tragedy of many years of isolation of these
communities and the despair of these people
was truly emotionally draining”, she said.
“In my hands, I held children debilitated by
acute malnutrition while talking to mothers
whose only hope was the next supply
of irregular food ration of humanitarian
agencies.
I knew then that we had the responsibility
to get our people out of abject poverty and
to lead them to prosperity where we are as a
country in Uganda now.”

She elaborated that the Ministry of
Karamoja, under the Office of the Prime
Minister (OPM) launched a comprehensive
food security plan for Karamoja which
was to consolidate the approach towards a
transformed production system, although
there was need for some emergency
measures. They therefore came up with a
short term solution to get the population back
in the mode of growing food for themselves
instead of relying on food aid.

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The Minister informed delegates that the
Ministry of Water which is responsible for
providing water reservoirs in the country,
has constructed one reservoir per district
in Karamoja. She was hopeful that when
all these water points are completed, there
will be sufficient water for animals and for
irrigation assisted agriculture.
Mrs.Museveni said that in addition, they have
boreholes for domestic use and are working
with UNICEF to ensure repair or drilling
where necessary so that they can ensure
clean water for communities wherever they
may be. They also want to fit solar pumps
on each borehole so that communities can
be empowered to grow vegetables around
the water source using drip irrigation, thus
improving the nutrition status of households
in Karamoja.
On community empowerment, the Minister
reported that they have designed the
program specifically to try to bridge the
gap left by cattle rustling, which at times
left families too vulnerable to know how to
survive. In efforts to motivate such families,
they provide livestock such as cattle or goats
to some women and youth groups and they
include some oxen so that they can enable
people to revive the use of ox ploughs for
agriculture.
In order to curb cattle theft, the minister
said they started an electronic branding of
all cattle in Karamoja. The practice involves
inserting an electronic chip in the stomach
of the cow, containing information such
as name of owner, its locality, colour of
the cow etc. If the animal is stolen then
traced, an electronic monitor can easily
read the information and the cow relocated
to its rightful owner. She said this form of
cattle branding has helped a lot to minimise
cattle rustling in Karamoja. The people
have regained the confidence that they can
actually keep their animals once branded. So
far, 80,000 heads of cattle have been branded
and the exercise is still on-going. “I am glad

On the education sector, Mrs.Museveni
noted that Karamoja has lagged behind
because of various challenges which
include infrastructure, school buildings
and staff houses, lifestyles and attitudes
of communities, leading to low enrolment
and high dropout rates. She lamented
that despite the progress the country has
made in education, Karamoja is only still
at 12% literacy rate, which is very low.
In response to this, the minister reported,
the government of Uganda, assisted by
partners in development like Irish Aid, have
constructed new staff houses and classrooms.
She said they will continue on this road to
consolidate these achievements through the
Northern Uganda Social Action Fund in the
next three years. “As part of the affirmative
action for Karamoja under UPE and USE,
Karamoja children access free education
and 100 scholarships for tertiary education
are set aside for Karamoja children every
year. Government also plans to build model
boarding primary and secondary schools
throughout the region, complete with
teachers’ houses so that children are taught
and fed and kept in school full time instead
of dropping out.”
Reporting on the health sector, the Minister
informed delegates that provision of health
services has remained a big challenge in
Karamoja. The region continues to report
high levels of maternal and infant mortality
rates. She identified the following as critical
factors responsible for the crisis: inadequate
accommodation for health workers and
inability to attract and retain qualified staff,
thus making service delivery particularly
difficult.
In order to address these
challenges, she said government has taken
the following steps: allocating resources
through PRDP and NUSAF 2; two district
hospitals in Abim and Moroto have been
elevated to referral medical facilities for that
region;
collaborating with private hospitals like
Matany missionary hospital to train midwives
and nurses who will be absorbed into
government health facilities; through MOH
and UNICEF, immunisation, nutritional
therapy, sanitation and sensitisation of
communities on maternal and child care.
She concluded that in an effort to bring
primary healthcare services closer to the
people, UNICEF has helped them to establish
village health teams in communities across
the region of Karamoja. Village health teams
are small health clinics at village level.
The Minister informed delegates that the
roads in Karamoja region, like any other

infrastructure, suffered many years of lack
of maintenance and because of insecurity,
the road network was not used. Therefore,
there was no maintenance for a long time
and in the rainy season, floods would wash
away bridges. To alleviate the situation,
the Government has decided to upgrade
some of the roads in Karamoja to make
them permanent. Some funds have been
secured to commence work on the MorotoNakapiripirit road. The Ministry Of Works,
through the National Roads Authority
(NRA), has also advised Public Private
Partnership (PPP) for the working on several
roads. PPP is a strategy they use in Karamoja
to try to change the road network. The
Minister concluded that she had no doubt
that this improvement in infrastructure will
boost development and will open the region
to further investment opportunities.
Addressing the housing sector, the First
Lady reported that the Karamojong have for
a long time lived in grass thatched houses, in
community settlements known as manyatas.
“Knowing the role of good housing in
promoting better quality of life and taking
the aspirations of local people to experience
social recovery and transformation, we
have piloted the construction of permanent
housing settlements in Nadunget, in Acerere
village, Kamuswahili, in Moroto town and
Olengedwat, in Nakapiripirit district” she
highlighted.
She elaborated that each organised homestead
has twenty homes fully connected with solar
lighting. Around those homes are situated
schools, water sources and an agricultural
production area. This arrangement, it is
hoped, will act as an incentive for future
development of permanent homes in the
area.
Mrs. Museveni outlined government
interventions in the area of
Rural
Electrification. She said Government
has completed construction of electricity
lines in the areas of Muyembe, Namalu,
Amudat, Soroti, Katakwi and Moroto, and
was exploring solar power initiatives with
private sector. She encouraged Ugandans
at the convention to explore participating in
this programme of rural electrification.
“As we look to the future, we shall continue
to work towards the region producing its
own food, engaging in other development
activities and with improved infrastructure.
Therefore, we shall attract investors to help
the region harness its natural resources and
potential so that prosperity can become a
reality in this region” the minister stated.
She concluded that they hope to achieve
all these aims within the framework of
Karamoja Integrated Development Program.
The program enables all stakeholders to
contribute and stay together as equal partners
for the progress of Karamoja, a region of
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Turning to the situation of water supply, the
Minister reported that the government of
Uganda put in place a framework to guide
this recovery and development in the whole
of northern region and Karamoja, called
PRDP. Under this program, they set to
provide water both for human and animal
consumption. By the end of this year, they
hope to have at least 15 parish valley dams
and hope to provide at least one valley dam
per parish for animals in all 177 parishes in
Karamoja. The rest of the valley dams will
be constructed under NUSAF2 program,
starting at the end of this year.

to report that the people of Karamoja have
embraced and appreciated this intervention.
Neighbouring districts have requested for
this service to be extended to their livestock
as well”, the minister concluded.

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with an illustration that when they started
this mission, 70% of the people in Karamoja
were living on food aid but today the food
insecure families are only 10%.
opportunity for private entrepreneurs and
investors from within and outside Uganda.

adaptation of global warming and climate
change.

The First Lady proceeded to list what
Karamoja has to offer: Karamoja is home to
one of the most beautiful and highly endowed
game parks in Uganda, the Kidepo National
Game Park. The stunning and unique scenery
in the region and undisturbed habitat offer
tremendous opportunity for eco-tourism.
The vast territory with its rich volcanic
soils is a great advantage for mechanised
commercial crop and livestock agriculture
to feed the market within Uganda, as well as
the regional and global demands. The region
is rich with various minerals, many of them
ready for exploration. Avenues for green
energy production, including solar and fuel
thermal renewable energy, are unparalleled.

“This meeting, focussing on sustainable
prosperity,
should
embrace
these
opportunities and encourage all Ugandans,
friends and partners in development and
entrepreneurs, to pursue these opportunities
in Karamoja. In so doing, we shall have
a win-win situation, where profits are
shared, and the people of Karamoja can
taste prosperity like the rest of the world”,
emphasised Mrs. Museveni.

There are opportunities for large forests
plantations to offer carbon credit to partners
from industrialised countries, as well as
for contributing towards mitigation and

Transcript of

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3.

Establish in northern Uganda and
Karamoja a government and state
authority again and the community and
government structures are beginning to
pick up so that they can lead progress of
northern Ugandan and Karamoja
To revitalize the economies of the
people at micro level so that the national
economy can be fed at the macro level
as well and this is happening right now
he confirmed.
Rebuilding communities as a third
objective and a finally putting in place
conflict resolution mechanism.

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Hon. Museveni once again, thanked the
organisers for giving her the opportunity to
share her experience with the convention
delegates.
“I thank you for listening to me and God
Bless you”
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk

to develop grassroots initiatives and this helps
us as a government to finance people directly
not to finance government structures through
household livelihood investment support; so
far we have constructed infrastructure for
basic social services; we have established
peace and stability as well as constructed
road in northern Uganda and Karamoja.
He disclosed that the government of
Ugandan provides over 100billion Ug Shs
as additional support beyond the ordinary
budget that we do every year this is a
substantial force to propel northern Uganda
forward and this is in addition to $100m
(Shs240b) from the World Bank into the
second phase of NUSAF II as part of PRDP.
Also he reported that through northern
NUSAF over $15million dollars every year
to the districts of northern Uganda and so far
he reported that the success is at the level
of the real tangible gains for households and
people of northern Ugandan are rebounding
back although there is a lot of work to be
done but hope and possible avenues for
future progression. He further reported that
the challenges of education which the 1st
Lady and Minister of Karamoja mentioned
in karamoja and northern Ugandan is still
real although we have constructed over
1464 units of teachers through NUSAF and
additional through PRDP though more still
needs to be done in education.
On lively woods he further reported that
they have reached over 96750 families
with concrete s at the level of household to
buy goat to be able to invest in their micro
enterprises. He assured that if we do this for
another 3 years our society will become a
little better than it is now.

He reinforced that in Karamoja we
approaching under 3 dimensions; putting
money in the hands of ordinary people
not institutions of government so the
planning unit in karamoja is the manyata
popularly known as the ere, we plan with
the ordinary mothers, children and youth
on what investment they would have; we
give the money on special project accounts
for the ordinary people controlled by the
people themselves and not by anybody in
government and this has enabled people to
be empowered and to control their destiny
in their hands. Dr. Limlim said that the
government has deliberately agreed that
unless our people control their destiny not
just the government structures then it is very
difficult for them to own the progress that
is happening and the resources so far that
we have released to the whole of northern
Ugandan is 115billion UgShs under the
social action fund of northern Uganda.
He informed that World Food Program and
DFID provided £12 million for food security
as the 1st lady and minister for Karamoja has
just highlighted.
Finally he invited all the people of Uganda
and the well wishers in the Diaspora to join
the hands of the people that are already in the
trenches trying to dig out development in the
hands of Uganda and we hope that tomorrow
our country will be better for all of us. It is
only us who have our destiny in our hands
and he called upon Ugandans to unite in this
quest for progress because prosperity is in our
hands now, lastly he thanked the Convention
organisers for inviting the Karamoja team
invited all to northern Uganda and karamoja
to see the development taking place in reality.

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He further assured that in the next four years
after the renewal of Peace, Recovery and
Development Plan for Northern Uganda
(PRDP), we shall consolidate on these gains
and northern Uganda should be at the level
where the rest of Uganda can now join in the
progression of our country without special
attention as it used to be in the last four years.
In northern Uganda through the northern
Uganda social action fund we have been able
an

Concluding her presentation, the First
Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs
called upon all present to join them on this

She pledged the commitment of the
government of Uganda to support any
endeavour towards enhancing the prosperity
of Karamoja.

Dr. Robert Limlim

Dr. Robert Limlim is the Director of the
second Northern Uganda Social Action Fund
(NUSAF) program, he accompanied the 1st
lady and during his presentation he started
by inviting Ugandans and friends of Uganda
to consider the peace and recovery program
that has been launched by the government
for the whole of northern Ugandan including
Karamoja that has made tremendous progress
in the recovery of our people after the
various decades of war. Happily he said that
NUSAF program has only run for 3 years but
the results are resounding and was happy to
share the 3 objectives that NUSAF focus on
as the over arching principle of recovery.
1.

Citing that Europe could not be complete
without Germany, whose role is very
significant in the contemporary Europe,
she said that Uganda’s development cannot
be complete without the development of
Karamoja.

journey to bring our brothers to the same
level with the rest of Uganda, in dignity and
prosperity. “The development of Karamoja”,
she reiterated, “is a collective responsibility.
It is a frontier we have to cross even as
we celebrate the golden jubilee of our
independence. Fortunately investments
opportunities are wide open for us to exploit
for the good of the Karamojong and Uganda
at large”.

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Transcript of the

Hon. Tress Bucyanayandi
Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
a finished product. Arabica coffee
could be brought in to supplement
Uganda’s production, standing now
at 15% Arabica and 85% Robusta.
Cocoa is coming up significantly
in Uganda and again investors are
invited to take advantage of the
value addition opportunities by
converting cocoa into by-products
like chocolate.
In the area of fruits and vegetables,
the Minister said that Uganda’s
pineapples and other fruits are
some of the sweetest and that
there is vast opportunities as the
international market is demanding
fresh and dried fruits. On floral
culture, he advised investors to
look at growing other types of
flowers where again the market
offers big opportunities.

The Minister advised people to start
looking at manufacturing and producing
fish using fish cages and ponds as the
demand is extremely high all over the
world. Uganda used to earn more than
$183 million from exports but the figures
are not promising due to low investment
in the sector.
He mentioned the success story of
Uganda and Nile breweries, leading
in the growing of barley and sorghum
to produce beer. Kinyara sugar works
is reaching out to commercial sugar
growers to help farmers benefit especially
during this time when Uganda produces
less sugar. And he advised investors to

The seed industry is another sector the
Minister quoted, disclosing that only
15% of Uganda’s seed is improved,
offering great opportunities to improve
this figure.
Regarding fertilisers, Uganda does not
even use 1 kilogram of fertilisers per
hectare per year. . Phosphates and lime
can be exploited to produce fertilisers, as
well as derivatives of the oil industry and
other minerals .
He further reported that though Uganda
has a good climate, commercial irrigation
is still needed to support commercial
farming.
He finally informed delegates that
Uganda needs investment in agroprocessing urgently because the industry
will not grow without adding value
to raw products. The country needs
to sustain the production for its fast
growing population and be able to supply
the local and regional food demand. It
also needs to increase the shelf life of
finished products. Lastly, he advised
people to take advantage of minimum
and tax exemption on agro-processing
and machineries as reported by Jolly K.
Kaguhangire from the Uganda Revenue
Authority.
He concluded his speech by thanking Mr.
Willy Mutenza and his team for inviting
him with his team to the Convention and
encouraged him to persuade delegates
to go and invest in Uganda and take
advantage of the peace, good climate
and incentives given to investors.
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In the agro-processing sector, the
Minister pointed out that most of the
cotton is exported raw instead of being
processed in final textile which would
add value to the exported product. And
some of this crop could be processed
into animal feeds or oil. He added that
Uganda produces the best coffee which
can be roasted in Uganda and turn it in

In the dairy sector ,he reported a
tremendous increase in the output where
1.8 billion litres of milk annually were
produced, with potential for growth.
Milk coolers and abattoirs for processing
meat for export especially to the middle
east market are one of those the Minister
advised immediate investments in.

He further said that Uganda can’t
increase productive by using the old
manual methods. Machinery and
innovative commercial technology and
know-how is needed in the country to
increase productivity. He advised on
investors to come and start a tractor hire
service as many people can’t afford to
buy their own tractor but can afford to
hire at a reasonable cost.

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on.
Tress
Bucyanayandi,
Minister
of
Agriculture,
Animal Industry and Fisheries
started his speech by emphasised
that agriculture is the most important
sector in Ugandan economy. He stated
that out of a population of 34 million
people, agriculture employs 4.5 million
directly in farming and another 2.5
million people engaged in other various
agriculture related activities. And more
than 77% of the population is engaged in
this sector. He was happy to report that
agriculture’s performance grew by 3%
over the previous year. He reported that
the Ugandan government has a target
of raising a family’s income to about
20million UgShs per family per year,
which is achievable if some enterprise
routes are exploited.

Due to the rising population in
the region and Uganda, producing
cereals and grain foods are some of
the best opportunities because the
raw product can be converted into
animal feeds and also food for human
consumption.

look at investing in sugar cane farming
as the regional demand is high.
Transcript of the

Hon. Maria Kiwanuka
The Hon. Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
The Hon. Minister of Finance,
Planning and Economic Development,
Maria Kiwanuka, opened her address
by thanking Ugandans in London for
looking after the Ugandan Olympic
team and most of all for helping
Kiprotich win the marathon gold
medal.
She expressed her appreciation of the
role the Ugandan diaspora played in
the development of Uganda, not only
for the remittances sent by the the
Diaspora, but also for the good ideas
generated and the business contacts
that they attracted to the country.
Hon. Kiwanuka stated that there
was no doubt that the focus for
this year’s convention, Career
and Investment Opportunities in
Uganda, was of critical importance
to the government’ prioritisation to
renewing the country’s economic
growth. The government’s strategy
is to support value-added in agroprocessing, skilling of the workforce
in areas that are most relevant to the
job market and lowering the cost of
doing business by increasing the stock
of infrastructure, energy, roads and
water transport networks. She said that
the government is very much aware
that the private sector both inside

and outside Uganda is the engine of
growth, responsible for over 80% of
GDP and that the government’s best
role is to see where it can help the
private sector to achieve its optimum
returns.
Hon. Kiwanuka reported that, in order
to maximise returns and target limited
resources to most critical areas, the
government is concentrating on the
following areas:
Infrastructure development; roads
repair , maintenance and expansion;
power generation, power transmission
and distribution
Research development which includes
skilling of workforce, and training
our trainers, to make sure that our
people get back to work.
Research and development in
improved seeds, improved animal
semen and how best to control crop
diseases and pest diseases.
Assist with
business regulatory
frameworks to streamline and
rationalise the licensing and regulation
framework to ensure business people/
entrepreneurs are not frustrated in
their efforts to set up or continue their
businesses.
Selection
of
public
/private
partnerships i.e. first contractor
financing or contractor facilitated

financing., and energy transmission
lines or energy generation whereby
mini hydro schemes are set up to sell
power to the government ,to be sold to
the ultimate consumer.
Hon. Kiwanuka stated that 3 key
bench mark questions will be asked in
order to maximise returns:
Does the investment increase the
stock of infrastructure, productive
infrastructure, roads power and
irrigation and ICT?
Does the investment add value to its
product or process? Will it enable the
product or process to be produced
cheaper or better?
Does the investment lower the cost
of doing business? And if, so by how
much?
“In the year 2010, the Ugandan
Diaspora sent back remittances
over 40 billion Shillings excluding
informal flows. With the global
economy continuing to register slow
growth and persistence of the crisis in
the Euro zone, the government cannot
ignore the potential of private financial
flows from Ugandans in the Diaspora
in forms of property income, equity
investments and pension payments
among others. The advantage of such
investments is that they are more
stable than wage income but also
enable the owners to broaden their
investment portfolios.”
Hon. Kiwanuka urged delegates
not to forget the fact that returns on
investment right now are highest in
Africa including Uganda, and the
risk perceptions are not as high as has
been previously envisaged, especially
since Uganda is changing her export
strategy to focus more on the regional
aspects. She said that Uganda is the
only country in East Africa that is
a net exporter of food and appealed
to delegates to improve on the
production, the productivity and to add
value to this area. The government has
10 commodities for priority interest,
these being maize, beans, cassava,
rice, bananas, fresh water fish, dairy
cattle and beef cattle.
The second area Hon. Kiwanuka
discussed was regulatory and
licensing reform. A number of
initiatives have been undertaken by
the government to create an enabling
business environment and to minimise
the cost of doing business in order to
attract more international investments,
including those of the Diaspora.
These programmes are geared
towards infrastructure and skills
development , the pension sector to be
newly liberalised and regulatory and
licensing reforms.

The government will establish the
business entry one-stop-shop by
integrating business incorporation
with other business registration
processes such as taxes, registration,
licensing
and
social
security
registration. This would reduce the
time and cost associated with starting
and running a business. It will employ
ICT tools to enable sharing of critical
information on businesses.

Hon. Kiwanuka fully accepted that
there are other issues that will require
broader policy consideration beyond
the scope of licensing reforms,
including local government financing,
enforcement gaps, regulatory overlap,
costs and inefficiencies associated with
centralised services. She recognised
a need to improve co-ordination
between various government agencies
on policy matters. She said that her
ministry is already working closely
with the relevant sectors where
these problems have been reported
in agriculture, local government,
fisheries, trade, health, environment,
hotel and tourism sectors.
Hon. Kiwanuka concluded her speech
by assuring the delegates of the support
of the government in all their plans to
increase business and other economic
set ups in the country and that the
government looks forward to their
contributions towards revitalisation of
growth and sustainable development
in Uganda.
She hailed the close connection
her ministry has with the High
Commission, and urged delegates to
give any problems or issues which
they would like her ministry to
address to the High Commissioner or
deputy High Commissioner who will
make sure that she receives them in
the quickest possible time.
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came up
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The Ministry of Finance

with recommendations for business
licenses reform. It identified a total
of 790 licenses, permits, user charges
issued by both central and local
government agencies countrywide.
It recommended that some of these
be eliminated
and have already
done so because they do not serve
any regulatory purpose. Another
400 will be retained, streamlined or
reclassified. The implementation of
these recommendations will save the
private sector more than 25% in their
current licensing costs . It will also
ensure that licenses are used to serve
legitimate regulatory purposes and not
revenue generating purposes.
The Government is also to establish
an official e-registry to house all
information on approved business
licenses which will minimise
duplication
of
submission
of
information and excessive licensing. It
will serve as a definitive repository of
information on licensing requirements,
thus will increase transparency and
compliance by the private sector.
Transcript of the

Opportunity Uganda
Sector Panel Discussion

Keynote address by Rt Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga

Sector Panel Discussion:

Moderator: Joel Kibazo, JK Associates
Panellists:
1. Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
2. Dr Andrew G. Seguya, Ag. Executive Director, CEO | Uganda Wildlife Authority
3. Jolly K. Kaguhangire, Commissioner - Uganda Revenue Authority
4. Mr. Sebaggala M. Kigozi, Executive Director – Uganda Manufacturing Association (UMA)
5. Amb. Agnes Kalibbala, Director for Housing - Ministry of Lands and Housing
Baroness Chalker was the first panellist

to address the delegates. She said that the
opportunities in Uganda are there for the
taking, but no one should delay at taking
them, as many other African countries
are also vying for investors. About 15
years ago, she did not think that a music
school in Kampala was viable but now
the capital has such a school teaching
music, like the violin and various wind
instruments.
Baroness Chalker criticised the fact that
too much time is spent talking about
what might be done, rather than taking a
decision and implementing it.
She said agriculture is critical not just
for Africa, but for the rest of the world.
Population is increasing very fast in
many countries of Africa. Unless value
is added and the growth of agriculture is
extended all over Uganda, the country
will not keep up with its own needs,
nor will there be sufficient food for the
surrounding countries, despite there
being good export markets right on
Uganda’s borders.

She shared some thoughts on how
tourists could be used to better the
country by inviting them to Uganda
to help build schools and centres. She
ended by advising the delegates to “take
every opportunity, take the decision and
get on with it”.
Next, Dr. Andrew Seguya gave a brief
overview of the opportunities in the
wildlife sector. He stated that Uganda
occupies only 0.01% of the land mass of
the world, but has 17% of all biodiversity,
a very big percentage for such a small
country. In terms of tourism, Uganda

has 10% of its land mass classified
as protected areas where a lot of this
biodiversity abounds, and where 20%
of all water bodies and 30% of all forest
cover can be found.
Tourism is the highest earning sector
in Uganda, bringing in over 1 billion
US Dollars in 2011. 80-90% of this
was contributed by the protected areas.
Gorillas alone brought in about 80%
of this revenue. Dr. Seguya invited
delegates to invest in tourism if they
wanted to get some of the highest returns.
He gave an example of a tourist paying
300 dollars per night for the use of a tent.
He pointed out that there are investment
opportunities in accommodation, for
stop-over facilities in the national parks,
around which different businesses can be
built. There is also need for investment
in helicopter tourism and hot air balloon
rides, things that are not in existence on
the ground at the moment.
Dr. Seguya also mentioned birding as
an important area for investment. There
are 1067 bird species in Uganda in

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She said that people still have a very

warm and positive attitude towards
Uganda, but that the country must not
let up in making the positive news well
known way beyond East Africa. Whilst
she believes that Uganda has the best
economic opportunities, the country will
not succeed if it is disorganised or silent.
She was not referring to the excellent
organisation at the convention; she meant
getting outside the Diaspora, getting to
other people who have sympathy for
East Africa, which can be particularly
done through tourism.

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Mr. Kigozi said that the manufacturing

sector in Uganda is basically a virgin
area. Uganda imports 90% of its
consumables, and produces the other
10%. 80% of raw materials that could
be produced in Uganda are imported,
so investors are needed to bridge the
gap in both areas. Only 10% of the fruit
is processed, and the rest is exported
raw. Investors are needed to have 90%
processed within the country before
export. Of the 300,000 metric tonnes of
oil consumed in Uganda, only 126,000
are produced within the country. Most
of the items produced in the country
are packaged but 50% of packaging
materials are imported, which means
only 50% is produced within the country,
so there is a gap that can be filled in all
these areas.
Mr. Kigozi went on to say that Uganda has

celebrated the oil/ petroleum discovery

satellite town along the new road through
Entebbe to Kampala, the southern
bypass, to decongest Kampala, so that
people in Wakiso can stay there instead
of rushing to Kampala. This town will
be called Ssisa town. There are plans to
set up tourist cities like Buvuma Island,
to look like the Seychelles to attract
more tourists.

Ambassador Kalibbala next outlined the

Mrs. Jolly Kaguhangire of the Uganda

investment opportunities in the housing
sector. She stated that there is a deficit
of about 3 million housing units. In this
regard, the government of Uganda has
put in place a number of projects which
she hopes investors and members of the
Diaspora present at the convention will
get interested in.
The first one is the building of housing
for civil servants, starting with teachers
and doctors. The pilot aims to redevelop
the Mulago doctor’s village on about 60
acres of land and build a well planned
residential area with commercial and
recreational facilities to improve the
wellbeing of doctors and nurses, enabling
them to do their jobs more effectively.
The same will be done for the teachers.

Revenue Authority (URA) began her
address by informing the delegates that
the URA has undergone reform since
2005, in which the approach to tax
collection was changed from a military
approach to a more user friendly
approach in order to facilitate trade and
enhance voluntary compliance. The
URA’s mandate is to collect revenues
and non-tax revenues on behalf of the
government. It had to reform, as the old
approach did not help the organisation to
excel in what it was doing and without
trade, the organisation would not survive.

The urbanisation rate in Uganda
is very high. There will be about 5
million people in Kampala very soon.
To decongest the capital, the ministry
is planning the redevelopment of the
slums, to accommodate all levels of
income and will avail commercial
premises for the people living there.
Through the decongestion plan, there
are hopes of starting new satellite towns,
taking advantage of the new hydropower
dam that will be constructed in Karuma.
There needs to be houses, hotels and
residential areas built around the area.
There might be the need to put up a

She finally invited investors and the
Diaspora to come and work with the
government to make these plans for
the redevelopment of Kampala and
the setting up of satellite towns a
reality. The government is looking at
investors to provide bridging finance,
funds for construction and production
of affordable building materials,
establishment of manufacturing factories
for the production of tiles, marble, floor
tiles, and glass to develop the real estate
sector.

Reform was achieved primarily
through the use of technology and the
modernisation of services. The URA
now has e-services that were introduced
in 2009, to ease the manner in which
entrepreneurs can pay taxes, enabling
them to do so at their convenience, from
any location in the world. The authority
also increased support and availability of
information to ease payment of taxes.
Mrs. Kaguhangire also mentioned that
there are tax exemptions in specific areas.
Starting in July this year, the government
decided to support agro-processing,
so importation of any new plant and
machinery is tax free; exportation of
finished goods (80% or more) is tax free;
permanent employment of people with

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He also mentioned that the authority
is aware that individuals may not have
sufficient capital for investment, but
that the funds for investment can be
raised collectively. With the public
private partnership law in the pipeline,
the National Wildlife Authority will set
up an investment vehicle where groups
can put money together to be invested
in an agreed project. Entrepreneurs with
limited funds will thereby still be able to
pool funds for an investment and earn
returns on it.

but he had not seen many investors
looking at the numerous by-products
of the oil as investment opportunities.
He said that it was high time delegates
paid attention to that sector and prepared
to take advantage of it. 95% of all
drugs used in Uganda are imported
and these are simple drugs that can be
manufactured within the country. He
encouraged delegates to look at the 95%
as a gap that they can fill and even export
the excess drugs to other countries
within the East African region, such as
South Sudan and D.R Congo.
Almost 100% of leather, hides and skins
are exported raw, leaving a big gap in
the market for the processing of these
products. Shoes, bags, suitcases and
other leather products must be produced
in Uganda .There is a plastics industry
in Uganda, but only 40% is produced
within the country, a situation calling for
more investment.

Ug a n

comparison to 700 species in Europe and
650 species in North America. Queen
Elizabeth national park, which covers
2500 square kilometres, has 700 species
of birds. There is a need for specialised
birding equipment creating investment
opportunities in this area. Mountain
climbing needs to be invested in, as well
as mountain climbing equipment/gear.
Uganda has probably the only mountain
in the world, Mt. Rwenzori, on which one
can experience all four seasons. Sport
fishing, walking safaris, night safaris
all provide investment opportunities
because they require specialised
equipment that is not readily available
in Uganda at the moment. Uganda has
the biggest fresh water lake in the world,
Lake Victoria, and the River Nile where
tourist boats need to invested in, as well
as boat accommodation.
disabilities earns firms some exemptions;
there is no tax on income received from
investment in education and scientific
research on capital expenditures is tax
free. She concluded by saying that the
services provided by URA are good like
its 24 hr support, payment by mobile,
and the services provided are integrated.
The speaker of the House, Right Hon.
Rebecca Kadaga spoke next and

enumerated areas that do not require a lot
of capital to invest in. She started with
wildlife, mentioned attractions such as
the climbing lions in Kanungu in the deep
West, as well as the mountain gorillas.
She particularly wanted to inform the
delegates of a new type of tourism in
Uganda based on the traditional life
of the Ugandan people. She gave an
example of a former colleague of hers
who left parliament and currently runs
a lodge, where tourists pay for the
privilege of milking cows and digging in
the garden, living the traditional African
lifestyle. This is an investment that
does not require a lot of funding. She
suggested that this could be extended
to include activities like pottery, giving
them the rare experience of making pots
in Africa, showing it is possible to do
more without spending too much money.
Right Hon. Kadaga also tried to interest

the delegates in investment opportunities
around Lake Bunyonyi, the second
deepest lake in the world. Tourists pay
for the privilege of using canoes on the
lake and pay about £400per night to
sleep in a simple wooden lodge. She
also called the delegates’ attention to
religious tourism and said a lot more
marketing was needed for the Uganda
Martyrs.

this is something that she has put right
at the top of her agenda in the next six
months.

Next followed a commentary and
question time.

Dr. Seguya then answered a query on

Subhash Thakrar,

the chairman of
the London Chamber of Commerce,
Ugandan by birth, who has been
involved in investing in India, suggested
that the government produce a dedicated,
certified list of opportunities on a website
that people can look at, something that
has been done in India. This can be
certified by a leading accounting or law
firm. He said that since western investors
today have plenty of choice to invest in
Asia and other countries in Africa, it was
time for Uganda to show up the best
opportunities available by selling them.
Next, Baroness Chalker answered a
query on the political climate and the
viability of infrastructure in Uganda
(roads, hospitals) so that investors can
come to Uganda and invest confidently.
Baroness Chalker agreed with the
Chairman of the London chamber of
Commerce, saying it is indeed necessary
to have dedicated certified list of
opportunities with the best opportunities
highlighted. She added that this should
be the job of the Uganda Investment
Authority (UIA) and of every Ugandan
High Commission and Embassy around
the world. She also said there was a
need to reform the working practices of
the UIA and strengthen its staffing. She
reported that she had been asked to help
with this reform, together with some
dedicated workshops, particularly in the
area of information technology (ICT), in
the area of agriculture and indeed also on
the preparations for oil, gas and power
development.
Baroness Chalker mentioned that while

it is wonderful in many ways that oil
has been found, Uganda is not yet ready
to make the most of this bonus coming
out of the ground. Many more artisan
workers and scientists are needed to
make sure that oil and gas production
and transportation is done properly and
maximises the return to the Ugandan
people. She assured the delegates that

incentives in the tourism sector and
progress on the East African single visa
regime. He said that the East African
parliament is looking at not only issuing
a single East African visa, but also at
selling East Africa as a single destination.
He said they were working on the
protection of the smaller states from
the stronger ones. He gave an example
of tour companies in Kenya being able
to buy all the gorilla permits in Uganda
with one cheque, thereby pushing all the
other tour companies out of business.
Dr. Seguya assured delegates that the
framework for the single visa is currently
being worked out and it will happen.
As the last speaker of the session,
Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament
added that that there are still a number
of issues that need to be agree on within
the community, such as sovereignty
and which type of passports will be
issued. With regard to the political
climate, the speaker assured delegates
that elections are held every five years
and to confirm that politicians from
different parties co-exist, she mentioned
Commissioner Dombo a member of the
NRM, Hon. Balikuddembe, a member
of the opposition, Hon. Allen, a former
member of the Diaspora who returned
home and contested as an independent
candidate and Hon. Janet Karuhanga,
independent MP for the youth.
Right Hon. Kadaga told delegates that
the government is equally concerned
about the health situation and addressing
it. The government has secured loans
to redo all the major hospitals in the
country. She concluded by telling the
delegates that things are going to change
as long as the government receives the
support that it needs.
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In Busoga, she said the government is
looking to market the Hannington site in
Kyando where Bishop Hannington was
killed. Given that Bishop Hannington
was sent to Uganda by the Church
of England, people from the Church
of England could visit the site as a
pilgrimage. She mentioned that at the
end of this year, there will be a Busoga
tourism expo aimed at marketing all
nine chiefdoms, as well as religious
sites in the area as a starting point. She

concluded by inviting delegates for
the Busoga tourism expo in December
promising that it will be very exciting.

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Transcript of the presentation by

Amongin Aporu Christine,
Minister of State for Teso Affairs

science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein,
“A generation which ignores history
has no past and no future”, which
could be referred to Ugandans. “What
our country has gone through over the
50 years should give us a guide to be
able to choose what to do to achieve
the best for our country”, she said.
She appealed to Ugandans in the
Diaspora to help combat the challenges
of flooding in Teso region. This could
be an investment opportunity as most
of the bridges get flooded, though she
admitted that the government was
trying to do its best to overcome this
calamity. Teso region is peaceful and
people should take the PPP* (public
private partnership) arrangement to
engage in business with the assurance
of the government as a partner.

H

on. Christine Amongin, the
Minister of State for Teso
Affairs reminded the audience
about the 1st Ugandan UK
Convention that took place in August
2011. “We came out of that Convention”
she said, “with recommendations and
resolute to forge the way forward in
concerted efforts to make Uganda our
pride and a better place to live in. We are
here now to review our commitments and
how to build on what we have done.”
She said that at the first Convention, the
main objective of Teso Affairs Ministry
was to closely oversee Government
programs and ensuring their fasttracking towards accelerated social
and economic development in the Teso
Region. She explained that having been
a new Department of Government in
the previous financial year, the Ministry
operations were, to a large extent, budget
constrained. However, she reported gladly
that the Ministry has been allocated a vote
and a budget for this financial year.
She implored Ugandans to reflect on
the 50 years journey after attaining
independence and quoted a phrase by

She gladly reported that since the 1st
Convention, she managed to get some
charities from London to work on
various projects in Teso. She mention
in particular River Flow Ministries who
help people on agriculture development.
Another charity, Ark Schools, has now
constructed 12 secondary schools in the
region and all these thanks to the effort
of the convention which has allowed
the Teso Affairs Ministry to forge good
relationship with these charities.
The Minister said that Teso is open for
business. Projects in value addition are
needed in the region to take advantage of
the abundance of cassava and potatoes.
She reported some good developments
in the region, including the University.
His Excellency the President directed the
establishment of Teso University sooner
than was expected. She reported the Teso
University Task Force was accordingly
launched by the Minister of Education
and Sports, and the university is set to
commence in July 2013. She called on
skilled Ugandans to go and teach in the
two faculties in human resources and IT
to commence with the opening of the

University.
The region is also working with a Korean
International
Cooperation
Agency
(KOICA) to construct a fruit factory,
which will add value to the many citrus
fruit grown in the region. Teso Tropical
Growers are calling upon Ugandans
in London to take advantage of the
investment opportunity, particularly
in the agricultural sector. The Teso
Affairs Ministry will continue with the
emphasis on improving on performance
of all agricultural programs, both in the
public and private sector to strengthen
agricultural production, including food
security.
She assured investors that rural
electrification is one of the major
government policies. In pursuit of this
policy, Government put in place the Rural
Electrification Agency (REA) to ensure
electric energy is availed in the rural areas.
The task is ongoing and many rural areas
have been placed on the grid for eventual
electricity infrastructure provision and
connection.
She advised Ugandans to utilize the
Constitution of the Republic of Uganda
1995. She encouraged them to seek and
obtain information from Government on
any issue of importance in any sector of
the economy and on Government policies
so as to make informed decisions on
where to contribute to the development of
Uganda.
Finally, she pointed out that “we are aware
of our plight, but we must recognize that
opportunities exist to turn Teso around”.
She concluded by commending and
thanking the organizers of the Convention
for arranging this important occasion, and
inviting her again to participate in it.
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/
ugandansinuk

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*PPPs allow governments to retain ownership while contracting the private sector to perform a specific function such as building,
maintaining and operating infrastructure like roads and ports, or providing basic services like water and electricity. Both sides
stand to benefit from the contractual agreement. Government earns revenue by leasing state-owned assets or alternatively pays
the private sector for improved infrastructure and better service delivery. Often the private sector can do the job more efficiently,
which can lower prices and improve rollout. The private operator gets reimbursed either by government or consumers for doing
its work, at a profit
Transcript of the presentation by

Mr. Alenyo Marshall,
Senior immigration officer
his or her grandparents
had diplomatic status in
Uganda; and
ii) neither of his or her
parents and none of his
or her grandparents was a
refugee in Uganda; and
b)
who has lived continuously in
Uganda since the ninth day of October,
1962. shall, on application, be entitled to
be registered as a citizen of Uganda-

2.

The truth about Uganda
Dual Citizenship

M

r. Alenyo Marshall,
Senior
Immigration
Officer, during his
presentation at the 2nd
Ugandan Convention UK, explained
that under the current constitution
(1995), they are 4 types of citizens
of Uganda:
Citizenship by birth.
a)
every person born in Uganda
one of whose parents or grandparents
is or was a member of any of the
indigenous communities existing and
residing within the borders of Uganda
as at the first day of February, 1926,
and set out in the Third Schedule to
this Constitution; and
b)
every person born in or
outside Uganda, one of whose
parents or grandparents was at the
time of birth of that person a citizen
of Uganda by birth.
Foundings and adopting children.
a)
A child of not more than five
years of age found in Uganda, whose
parents are not known, shall be
presumed to be a citizen of Uganda
by birth.
b)
A child under the age of
eighteen years neither of whose
parents is a citizen of Uganda, who
is adopted by a citizen of Uganda
shall, on application, be registered as
a citizen of Uganda.
Citizenship by registration
1. Every person born in Ugandaa)
at the time of whose birthi) neither of his or her

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3.

Paragraph (a) of clause (2) of this
article applies also to a person who
was married to a citizen of Uganda
who, but for his or her death, would
have continued to be a citizen of
Uganda under this Constitution.

4.

Where a person has been registered
as a citizen of Uganda under
paragraph (a) of clause (2)of this
article and the marriage by virtue of
which that person was registered isa)
annulled or otherwise declared
void by a court or tribunal of competent
jurisdiction; or
b)
dissolved, that person shall,
unless he or she renounces that citizenship,
continue to be a citizen of Uganda.

Citizenship by naturalisation
Parliarment shall by law provide for
the acquisition and loss of citizenship
by
naturalisation.
Mr. Alenyo explained that when
Ugandans in the UK
took UK
citizenship, they ceased being
Ugandan citizen. Holding a Ugandan
and British passport does not make
one a Ugandan unless he/she registers
under article 15 activated by section
19 of the Uganda citizenship and
immigration act.

Mr Alenyo advised Ugandans in
the Diaspora to lobby the Rt. Hon.
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Speaker
of the Ugandan Parliament, who
was amongst the VIP delegates at
the Convention, to waive the dual
citizenship fee which seems to deter
everyone to register.
Mr Alenyo said that those who
registered for dual citizenship will
have the privilege to pick their
National Id cards from the High
Commission. The national ID cards
will be used to access services such
as voting and to buy land as citizens,
as well as to contest for elective
offices.
Mr Alenyo listed the offices a dual
citizen cannot hold among others:
a. President.
b. Vice President.
c. Prime Minister.
d. Cabinet Minister and other
e.
f.
g.

h.
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Ministers.
The Inspector General and the
Deputy Inspector General of
Government.
Commanding
Officers
of
Armed Forces Units of at least
battalion strength.
Officers responsible for heading
departments responsible for
records personnel and logistics
in all branches of the Armed
Forces.
Inspector General of Police and
Deputy Inspector General of
Police.
Heads and Deputy Heads
of National Security and
Intelligence
Organisations,
(ESO), ISO and CMI).

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/
ugandansinuk

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The following persons shall, upon
application be registered as citizens
of Ugandaa)
every person married to a
Uganda citizen upon proof of a legal and
subsisting marriage of three years or such
other period prescribed by Parliament:
b)
every person who has legally
and voluntarily migrated to and has
been living in Uganda for at least ten
years or such other period prescribed by
Parliament;
c)
every person who, on the
commencement of this Constitution, has
lived in Uganda for at least twenty years.

Mr Alenyo explained the privileges
of being a dual citizen:
i. You have the right to vote
ii. You have the right to own
land under the mailo land
ownership. (holding mailo
land as a Bristish subject is
illegal under section 40 of
the Land Act)
iii. Acquiring a national ID,
which will be issued very
soon

Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
3UGANDAN UK CONVENTION
rd

One day - One Event

Ugandan UK Diaspora Trade and Investment

EXPO 2013

Discover the tools, strategies, and tips
to financial freedom with truly
diversified investments.
»
»

Real Estate
Financial Services
◊

»
»
»
»
»
»
»

Venue: TROXY ARENA
490 Commercial Road
London E1 0HX
United Kingdom

Diaspora Bond

◊

Saturday, 14 Sept 2013

Banking & Access to Finance

Agribusiness
◊ Agro-Processing
Public-Private Partnerships
Renewable Energy
Transport & Communication
ICT
Tourism
Manufacturing

Register for your FREE conference ticket:

www.3rdugandaukconvention.eventbrite.co.uk
Uganda Diaspora Investment Expo
2013 will be the largest Ugandan
event in Europe that is designed
to promote Uganda as a favorit
investment destination in Africa.
The Expo will offer companies large
and small the opportunity to access
our lucrative and often overlooked
market. The Convention will focus
and contribute to the economic
empowerment of the Ugandan
community through the Expo.

There are many benefits people
will receive when they attend this
Expo. Some of the essential benefits
are discovering new business
opportunities, networking, gaining
priceless information, and improving
personal
business
contacts,
employment opportunities, finding
potential business partners, as well
as, leisure enjoyment.

Speakers will include Ministers
and senior officials, as well as
Chairs and Chief Executives of
businesses, investment funds and
other industries. This Forum will
showcase the best investment
opportunities that Uganda and
East African region have to offer.
The Forum presents a platform for
investors and project partners to
explore and discuss investment
opportunities
with
decision
makers.
The Forum will also offer networking
opportunities and the space to
discuss prospects in key sectors
like Agriculture, Infrastructure,
Banking and Financial services,
Tourism, Manufacturing, Energy,
Oil and Gas.

Enquiries: Mob: +44779 647 089 | info@ugandanconventionuk.org
Contact in Uganda: Mr. Bernard Magulu: +256 754 410 559

www.ugandanconventionuk.org
Sector Panel Discussion:

Investing in Financial Markets

– (Diaspora Bond)
Overview on the investing environment across Ugandan fi nancial markets. Considerations to include preferred
sectors, regulatory pressures and typical risk and return of investment funds, mitigation of risks, incentives and
Diaspora Bond.

Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister
for Finance, Planning and Economic
Development was the keynote speaker on
the session about financial markets. She
said that Diasporans have been sending
money home to their families, educate
children, and look after parents, to build
typically housing for them and their
families. Now, she said, was the time
to look at the financial markets as a way
for the Diaspora to invest their money
back home in markets like the Diaspora
Bond and the stock market of Uganda and
several other instruments.
The government knows that the
Diasporans can be a stable source of
funds more than any other source of
investors because their familiarity with
Uganda gives them a better perception of
any possible risk. Also, Diasporans are
generally less concerned with exchange
rate fluctuations because they will invest
in Uganda for the long term.

The moderator mentioned that in August
2012, it was reported that Bob Diamond,
the former CEO of Barclays Capital was
to introduce complex investment banking
products like hedge funds, derivatives and
swaps in Uganda. He invited Veronica
Kalema, who does a lot of credit rating
on the African continent to explain where
Uganda’s financial markets stand at the
moment and why should the Ugandans in
the Diaspora be interested in investing in
financial products in Uganda.
Veronica Kalema explained that
Uganda’s financial markets are still at the
development stage but nevertheless pose
a lot of investment opportunities. Uganda
developed a domestic Bond market ten
years ago, and increasingly, African
countries are going in the Euro Bond
market and issuing debt bonds which
would have been unthinkable 5 years ago.
She said that Zambia recently issued
its debut Euro Bond which was
oversubscribed by 15% , amounting to
basically $12billion worth of investment
and she was sure that was also the way
Uganda and all the rest of the frontier
markets were moving towards.
Mr. Phillip Wabulya, Executive Director
Operations Edwin was invited to talk
about the Diaspora Bond. He explained

first that in 1993, the government had
liberalized the economy, when just
$50,000 could move the entire market of
Uganda and the exchange rate would be
up. The trade has changed positively and
the capital markets right now demand a
Diaspora bond because a lot of Ugandans
are looking for other investment avenues
and products beside the usual real estate.

Mr Wabulya further said that Uganda
has an active secondary market whereby
government securities are being traded.
In addition, the Minister of Finance is
committed to build skills and investment
opportunities, and the Bank of Uganda
via the UK Convention, aims to raise
awareness and to look forward to the
implementation of the Diaspora bond in
the near future.
Mr Wabulya explained how people in the
Diaspora will be able to buy or sell the
Diaspora bond after its introduction, and
how they will be able to access it from
outside Uganda. He cited that from July
2011, Uganda received about $252million

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The moderator of the panel was Edwin
Charles Senjobe Sentogo. The panel
guests were Veronica Kalema from Ned

Bank Capital Africa Credit, Derrick
Smail of Homestrings, Kenneth Egesa
from Bank of Uganda where he heads the
statistics department and Philip Obuya,
the Executive Director of Operations in
the Bank of Uganda.

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of investment in the financial markets in
the bonds and treasury bills. He assured
investors and Ugandans that it is already
happening, that the opportunities are there
and other shrewd investors were taking
advantage of them, rather than looking at
only infrastructure, housing and the like.

10million Ug Shs, who are entitled to
bid for a price which later determines the
prices. The interest rates really depend on
the players in the market at the time, and
on the prices they are willing to take for
the amounts that are offered in the market.
A delegate asked the panel to define
the Diaspora Bond in lay man’s terms.
Mr. Wabulya clarified that the Diaspora
bond is a bond, or a paper, that people,
not living in the country, can invest in,
and is normally used to raise funds for
infrastructure development. For example,
they can raise money for a particular
road project, and the people allowed to
invest are those not living in Uganda,
which defines it as a Diaspora bond. This
bond will normally have yearly tenures
between 3- 15 years, as it normally is a
long time investment.

Mr Wabulya also said that Uganda
Stock exchange (USE) realized that in
Uganda, a lot of the financial markets are
based in the commercial banks. Bank of
Uganda, Uganda Securities Exchange and
Capital Markets Authority are currently
discussing and exploring the best way
to make it work. He said “we have what
we call a central depository system that
we hope will give access to a lot of
investors to invest electronically into the
government of Uganda securities and
equity market, which will be operative in
the next few months.”

Lastly, Mr Wabulya addressed the
worries of fraud, non- compliance of
regulations and how to mitigate any risk
from mismanagement of funds, which
were put forward by some delegates. He
revealed that every investor he had visited
recently said that the Bank of Uganda
pursued a very strong monetary policy
that has insulated commercial banks from
the problems that could have happened.
He explained that banks in Uganda are
sufficiently capitalized and have enough
liquidity to meet the obligations. He added
that BOU has a very strong supervision
team headed by Mrs Justine Bagyenda
that does not tolerate any flexibility in
terms of any breaches in the requirement.
The moderator invited Derek Smail of
Homestrings
(www.homestrings.com)
to make a contribution focusing on
investment and getting good return on
investment.

To match up these expectations,
Homestrings.com was set up as an
investment vetted platform which helps
investors looking for opportunities,
and enables government and private
agencies to promote their products like
bonds, Diaspora bonds, equity funds,
public private partnerships projects and
government initiatives.
Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister
for Finance, Planning and Economic
Development said that the African
Development Bank issued a local
currency note of Shs125billion on the
Ugandan Stock Market in a bid to raise
funds for different projects funded by
the bank. She was pleased to share that
Uganda is only the second country in
Africa 9after South Africa) where Africa
Development Bank has felt that there
was enough credit rating. She said that if
Uganda’s credit rating was good enough
for ADP, it should be good enough for the
Diaspora. The delegates applauded with
happiness.
Mr. Phillip Wabulya further commented
on how the interest rates are determined
in Uganda. He clarified two types of
investors: those investing less that
10million Ug Shs ( $4000) who buy at
the set price; and those who invest over

Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister
for Finance, Planning and Economic
Development addressed this concern
simply by referring to the Financial Times
newspaper, rating Uganda as the best lowrisk investment country in East Africa,
which should put to rest all doubts and
questions on the risk factor.
Phillip Wabulya added to the Minister’s
point by saying that Uganda’s credit
rating is done by the well-known credit
rating agencies Fitch (www.fitchratings.
com) and Standard and Poors (www.
standardandpoors.com). He pointed
out that the ratings Kenya, Tanzania and
Zambia received from similar rating
agencies quickly showed that there is
an advantage of investing in Uganda,
compared to those countries.
Derek Smail from Homestrings finally
said that Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and
Mozambique have Diaspora bonds, and
that what Uganda currently has is a 91
day Treasury bill which is paying 12% on
an annual basis. He added that after the
Convention, he was going to invest in a
91 day Republic of Uganda treasury bill
simply because he understood a little bit
more about Uganda, and he thought that
Uganda needs it, Uganda deserves it and
is safer!
The session was concluded by the
Minister of Finance thanking the panelists
and the delegates who patiently listened
to the vast information shared with them.
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/
ugandansinuk

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Concerning the minimum and maximum
investment allowed for the Ugandans
in the Diaspora, Mr Wabulya gave the
following example: £100 a month totals
£1200 a year; during the recent inflation
where interest rates were as high as 25%,
Ugandans who would have invested
1million UgShs shillings would have
earned UgShs 250, 000. He stressed that
no other investment right now can offer
that amount of money anywhere in the
world.

Derrick started by saying that the
Diaspora, who sent money home with a
tune of
more than $768m in 2010, wanted to invest
in their own country’s manufacturing,
export, etc and that the actual ability
to do that was about 17% or 12%, and
that much ended up being invested in
subsistence only.

One delegate wanted to know the
mitigation measures taken against
faithless bankers that may manipulate the
rate only to reward the investor at a lower
rate than the actual rate of profit.

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Regarding threshold of investment, Mr
Wabulya said that currently, foreign
investors hold 15% of the government
stock of government securities. A foreign
investor can invest from as low as UgShs
100,000 without any maximum limit.
Multi Sector Discussion:

Health, Agro- and Horticulture

An overview of investment opportunities in the Agriculture and Horticulture and and emerging
opportunities for Health professionals
The Moderator: Estella Makumbi
Panellists:
• Dr. Samuel Mugasi Chief executive
officer of National Agricultural
Advisory Services (NAADS)
• Dr. Atwine Diana Kanzira director
of the medicines and health delivery
monitoring unit
• Mr. Deus Muhwezi assistant
commissioner
in
charge
of
agribusiness
• Dr. Sarah Nkonge Muwonge senior
private secretary, director of land
matters
• Mr. Donald Banks GCSED founder
and managing director.
Ms Makumbi invited Dr. Mugasi to tell
the delegates about the opportunities the
NAADS programme has for Ugandans in
the Diaspora.

He went on to say that NAADS is an
agency under the ministry of agriculture
in Uganda that is mandated with the
provision of agricultural extension and
advisory services. The agency helps
farmers access improved technologies
and benefit from existing value chains.
If delegates were to invest in agriculture
in Uganda, they would benefit from the
services of NAADS. Beyond the services,
the agency has a commercialisation
fund; funds offered to potential investors
on a competitive basis if they invest in
particular areas such as value addition.
NAADS has some limited funds put aside
for private public partnerships mainly
in the area of value addition this could
be in food, grain or dairy processing for
example. He informed delegates that if
they came to Uganda the agency will be
able to provide information on how to
benefit from its services and how it can
support investors in their agricultural
investments. NAADS can also provide
information on potential enterprises. The
agency has carried out studies and can
provide advice on which enterprises to
invest in since the agency has statistics
and profitability analyses done in this
area.
Ms. Makumbi thanked Dr. Mugasi for
his quick presentation and highlighted
the fact that the information on public
private partnerships was well received
by the delegates. She then invited Mr.
Deus Muhwezi to tell the delegates the
opportunities available to the Diaspora in
the agribusiness sector.

In addition to what the Hon. Minister said,
Mr. Muhwezi said that there are huge
investment opportunities in agribusiness
services such as banking and insurance,
warehousing, and food and confectionary
industry not only in Uganda but the entire
region.

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Dr. Mugasi thanked the moderator for the
introduction and started his presentation
by asking the delegates how many of
them would like to invest in agriculture
after listening to the minister’s speech.

Mr. Muhwezi acknowledged that the
minister for agriculture had already
adequately outlined most of the
investment opportunities available in the
agricultural sector. So he added that the
government on case by case basis has a
policy of public private partnerships in
which the government will support a
given project. The government also has
another policy called build, own, operate
and transfer; also done on a case by case
basis. Under this policy the government
can assist and partner with investors
to promote a given project especially
in agro-processing. Other incentives
available to investors include no export
taxes, tax exemptions if the investment
is in value addition in agro-processing or
products locally produced in Uganda(both
income and value added tax). Tax free
importation of machinery and equipment
for agricultural investments (value added,
agro processing) 30 kilometres outside
Kampala.

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Ms. Makumbi thanked Mr. Muhwezi
for his remarks and noted that value
addition was emphasised so she urged
delegates to add value to their produce
if they are to agriculture. She then
invited Dr. Sarah Nkonge Muwonge to
speak. She highlighted the fact that one
of the challenges faced in investing in
agribusiness is security of land tenure.
Ms. Makumbi then asked her to tell the
delegates how Ugandans in the Diaspora
can get around that as they try to invest
in Uganda.

for most of the different types of land;
mailo /freehold land, leasehold / public
land, communal/customary and bibanjas.
Bibanja owners complain against
landlords who they think are not putting
them into consideration when they sell
their land. Land lords also complain
against bibanja owners or squatters who
sell land without their permission. Other
problems include unlawful occupation or
acquisition of land through forged letters
of administration& wills, multiple sales
and fraudulent transfer of agreements
sales.
These problems may affect investors
but the government has put in place
offices that can work to overcome some
of these challenges and turn them into
opportunities. Dr. Nkonge Muwonge
noted that some of the land in question is
public land and about 5.1% of which is
unutilised leaving a balance of 3 million
capacity land. The best way to overcome
these problems is to get in touch with
the relevant offices such as the Uganda
land commission, the Uganda investment
authority and offices mandated by the
government such as the Land Fraud Unit,
Directorate of Land Matters and others.
At this point Ms. Makumbi the moderator,
interjected and asked Dr. Nkonge
Muwonge for clarification on what
investors can do or should do when faced
with the problems she mentioned, having
provided the relevant offices. Dr. Nkonge
Muwonge then advised delegates to go to
the offices she mentioned earlier if faced
with any land problems.

These are some of the problems investors
from the Diaspora might have to face. But
it has been found that there are complaints

Dr. Atwine introduced herself and
informed the delegates that her job is to
monitors health services in Uganda. She
stressed that despite the things that are
heard and seen in the news, there are good
things happening in the health sector in
Uganda. There are currently attempts to
put right the problems in the health sector

•

She told delegates that currently there
is medicine in all health facilities and
that they are welcome to visit any
health centre in the country to prove
that the medicine is indeed there.

•

There are several opportunities
available under manufacturing,
because 95% of the medicines used
in the Uganda are imported. So
there are investment opportunities
in the area of pharmaceuticals &
manufacturing for those interested.

•

In
terms
of
Infrastructural
development, the government is in
the process of revamping/ repair
and equip most of the hospitals but
there is still need for skilled labour
to operate this equipment and give
the expertise needed. These services
can be given by the private sector
with entrepreneurs putting up private
hospitals. Within the next two years it
is expected that ultramodern hospitals
capable of carrying out cardiothoracic
surgery and other highly specialised
procedures. In order to do that, she
encouraged individuals to come
and partner with the government to
provide these skills.

•

Under human resources, individuals
are needed not only to work in the
health facilities but to train Ugandans
and pass on the skills that they have.
She acknowledged that there have
been issues about incentives and
remuneration for health workers but
this is a process that the government
is working on.

•

In the last 5 years, the government
has expanded health facilities; at the
moment there are health facilities
at every parish all of which require
money and equipment. The next
phase is the government focusing
on human resource development,
acquiring highly skilled labour to
operate in the highly specialised
hospitals / health facilities that are
going to be set up. The government
is encouraging public private
partnerships in this area.

•

The government is planning on rolling
out health insurance once the policies
required are in place therefore skilled
labour in the field of health insurance
are needed to provide expertise. This
is an area where labour is needed. She
assured delegates that jobs would be
available in this area.
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Dr. Nkonge Muwonge thanked Ms.
Makumbi for her introduction and
went on to say that the land tenure is
what discourages most investors in the
Diaspora. She noted that most delegates
present are absentee landlords who would
like to invest or utilise their land upon
returning home. Her office has observed
several disputes regarding land as a
result of ignorance of the laws governing
the land, environment, inheritance and
family; misuse of power and social
status(politically
and
financially);
decentralisation and creation of new
districts headquarters which has turned
land hitherto ignored as rural into prime
urban land; corruption by public servants
and forgeries by land grabbers.

The moderator thanked Dr. Nkonge
Muwonge for her contributions and asked
Dr. Atwine to tell the delegates about
the opportunities available in the health
sector.

so that investors can come to the country
with a sense of confidence in the system.

Ug a n

He said Uganda already has a laborious
farming community so setting up a
nucleus farm or processing plant means
the investor has access to a hinterland
of out growers making it easier to
grow into production, processing and
marketing. For further information he
encouraged delegates to speak to him and
his colleagues after the panel and assured
them that contact details would be left
behind to facilitate further discussions and
give further information on the incentives
and opportunities available to investors
in the agricultural sector. He concluded
by thanking the delegates for listening to
him.
•

•

There is need for investment in the
field of research and development
for example vaccine development.
She stressed that Uganda is free
from Ebola contrary to reports in the
international press. Health workers
have been able to control the disease
but there is need for research on
such viruses and other diseases.
The scientists in the Diaspora were
invited to come home and carry out
this research and told that there is
government support available for
that.
In regard to e-health, government
has invested in and is rolling out an
e- health policy to enable doctors in
Uganda contact specialists in other
parts of the world. Skilled labour is
required to implement these plans.

Donald Banks from GCSED, whose
background
is
in
International
development, spoke about investment
opportunities in Uganda. He asserted that
commercial agriculture will be Uganda’s
saviour pointing out the fact there are
5.1 million hectares of agricultural
land of which 2.1 million are being
utilised. Of that number only 5% of it
is irrigated and can be used for food
production. He said that malnutrition
can be reduced by increasing food
production through irrigating the land an
increasing the amount of land available
for irrigation. 85% of Uganda’s labour
work in agriculture mainly subsistence.
He stressed that to improve agricultural
productivity skills development is the
answer. Commercial agriculture needs to
work with skills development to make the
situation better. His organisation has spent
the last 5 months negotiating the purchase
of 250,000 hectares of agricultural land
matched up with a skills development
programme for young men aimed at
ensuring that some of the allocation of
land goes to domestic production to
reduce malnutrition.
There is so much opportunity of
commercialising agriculture however
there are problems such as land. Enterprise
management programmes are needed to
encourage farmers to improve the quality
of their produce. Introduce co-operatives,

Questions:
The moderator then opened the panel
discussion to the house and the first
delegate asked how the government
could help a prospective investor in the
poultry business? He was baffled at how
a country like Uganda could be importing
poultry from Brazil and South Africa.
The second delegate simply suggested
that
the government establish
a
website where the latest information on
developments in the health sector are
provided since there was a lot that Dr.
Atwine wanted to say in an insufficient
amount of time.
The last question was from Prof.
Fred Wabamba, a higher education
professional, who highlighted the fact
that most of the panellists mentioned the
need for skills in Uganda. However he
added that having decided to return home,
the people within the country were not
welcoming to members of the Diaspora
returning to Uganda. The process of
transferring his belongings to Uganda
took 9 months many of which were of no
use to him by the time they arrived. He
suggested that if the government really
requires the skills and knowledge that
members of the Diaspora have, then the
country should be more welcoming to
those members of the Diaspora returning
home.
The moderator thanked the delegates for
the questions and invited the panellists to
answer the questions.
In response to the first question, one of
the panellists said that there is a huge
investment opportunity in the country and
region for poultry and poultry products
such as breeding one day old chicks most
of which are currently being imported.
There is government support depending
on the level of the investment, such
as free land and tax free importation
of equipment in the production and
processing of poultry. These incentives
are also available for the area of breeding.
Poultry is one of the enterprises mentioned
by the Hon. Minister earlier, identified
as one of the key areas both in the local
and regional markets. Animal feeds an
enterprise needed by the poultry subsector
is also one of the areas that qualify for
government support depending on the
scale of the project.

In regard to the third question, the speaker
of parliament appreciated the issues raised
by the delegate and promised to create a
small desk in the foreign affairs committee
to deal with the Diaspora specifically in
parliament. She also pledged to inform
the government that it has not done the
necessary to enable those in the Diaspora
to “land softly” when they return home.
The moderator thanked the speaker of
parliament for answering the question
very well and invited the Hon. Minister of
agriculture to give a few remarks on land
security and close the panel.
The minister thanked the moderator
and made two main points by way of
conclusion. He assured prospective
investors coming to Uganda of land
security for their investments in ranching
or commercial agriculture, in terms of
proper processing of land. He stated that
he did not expect the delegates to return
and join the peasantry, he expects large
scale production.
He welcomed investors to come and
invest in agriculture at various levels
depending on their preferences;
at
primary production, early value addition,
manufacturing, technology that promote
agriculture ,seed production, animal
vaccines, fertiliser. But high levels of
intervention are expected of prospective
investors given their experience, training
and opportunity. He concluded by
thanking the delegates for listening.
The moderator thanked the Hon.
Minister and the distinguished panel
for the information and advice given,
she also thanked the audience for being
very participative and involved in the
discussions that took place.
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/
ugandansinuk

Co n v en

UCU

United We Can

UK

Ug a n

an

on
ti

d

The moderator hoped that the first
question was adequately answered and
went on to the second question; Dr.

Atwine offered to be the link between the
delegates and the health sector. She gave
her contact details as well as a 24 hour toll
free telephone number to those who had
any issues or question on the health sector
in Uganda but added that she was not
representing the ministry of health and
was acting in her capacity as a monitor.
There is a dashboard and call centre
that deal with all complaints concerning
service delivery. Her office could be a link
to the ministry of health and other health
offices.

| 20

Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012
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Report of the Ugandan UK Convention - an investment Forum 2012

  • 1. 2 nd UGANDAN 15th Sept 2012 London United Kingdom 2012 UK Convention Summary Report 2nd Ugandan UK Convention A Diaspora Trade and Investment Expo 2012 theme “aspiring for Sustainable Prosperity” www.ugandanconventionuk.org
  • 2. My call to all Ugandans feelings of care, of belonging, of wanting to see our people flourish, come out of poverty, and be healthy, that so many of us attend such an event, determined to get involved, to make a difference. This desire to ‘do our bit’ is the best foundation from which to start putting down the first building blocks. Uganda abounds with opportunities. I do not think that lack of capital should deter anyone from getting involved. More and more, the government and other institutions, as well as new laws, make it easier for anyone to set up business or invest in partnership with others, in so many ways and in so many different sectors. Willy Mutenza - Chairman I t is a great pleasure for me to write these few words about the momentous event that has been the 2nd Uganda Convention UK , that took place on 15th September 12 in London . We have been truly blessed to have had so many outstanding speakers and guests, and very many delegates, who hold Uganda dear to their hearts. Without this love and dedication to our home country, an event such as the convention would be a futile exercise indeed. United We Can Ug a n UK UCU on ti d It is precisely because we have these Co n v en an |2 All investment and activities, however small they appear to be, do make a difference on the ground in Uganda . We all know how microfinance can turn a family’s welfare around, where the most pressing hardships are eradicated in a very short time. In her wonderful book ‘My life’s Journey, Janet Museveni mentions that mindsets need to change in order for change to take place on the ground. Ugandans in the Diaspora have that power to change mindsets back in Uganda . They have seen, learnt and lived many new ways of life and work, which could all be the keys needed back home to open and enrich minds in ways that money could never achieve. Shared knowledge can be just as precious as capital investment. After hearing our guests speak, I trust that no one has any doubt any more that the whole of Uganda is calling on its ‘scattered children’ across the world to come back and plant some seeds of the enriching lessons and harvests they have gathered in those far away lands. It is our love for our country that will ensure Uganda will flourish. Not one of us should rest easy until we have all made a difference, small or big, even if it just to ensure that a young child can remain in school for one year, or provide a bicycle for a District Nurse. I am filled with complete confidence that much will be achieved, following this Convention. I want to encourage every single one of you to aspire to make a difference to the future of Uganda . We owe it to all our brothers and sisters in Uganda , we owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to the world. Willy Mutenza Chairman Uganda Convention-UK Mobile: +447790 647 089 Email: info@ugandanconventionuk.org Website: www.ugandanconventionuk.org Videos: www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 3. Transcript of the Rt Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament information on five areas of opportunities available for the delegates to tap in: The Speaker noted that the 50th anniversary of Uganda’s independence was an opportunity for people to reflect on who they are and what they can do for themselves and their country. She reminded delegates that when we received the instruments of office in 1962, we did not expect our citizens to live abroad permanently. “But circumstances of different kind forced people of Uganda to leave the country to settle initially perhaps only temporarily, which later became more permanent”, she lamented. Hon. Kadaga reminded delegates that many Ugandans living abroad have studied and made careers there, and have therefore developed much capacity in finances and technologies. And that they should now harness joint resources and make a difference in the country. She reported that the Government of Uganda had responded by facilitating dual citizenship for Ugandans, thereby facilitating work and investment in either or both countries. Hon. Kadaga invited them to market Uganda, to speak for Uganda, to invest in Uganda but more importantly to visit Uganda. The Rt. Hon. Speaker then proceeded to share The Rt. Hon Speaker reminded delegates of the opportunities in the oil, gas, mining and energy areas. Rt. Hon. Speaker informed delegates that Uganda’s unique placement in the area had turned it into a food basket for the region. With a favourable climate and great seasons, there are many opportunities in commercial agriculture and also in food processing. Hon. Kadaga invited delegates to take interest in the banking industry which is one of the fastest She assured them that the aviation industry in Uganda continues to grow. Uganda is serviced by over 14 airlines and plans are under way to attract more airlines through the planned expansion of the airport, as well as improving other facilities needed there. The local transport industry is another area she identified as growing. In the absence of public government transport, this is an area they could consider, especially for Kampala, Jinja and other towns. She also advised them to consider the rail industry. Hon. Kadaga singled out industrialisation as the most important sector for them to get interested in. She said that for far too long, Uganda has sent raw materials into the market, but now was important for Uganda to export finished products. She therefore called upon delegates to invest in industries that will not only support agriculture but will also create markets and employment opportunities for the millions of Ugandans who are unemployed. Hon. Kadaga informed the convention that Uganda has the advantage of a fairly educated population, possibly not very skilled in certain technologies but she was confident that Ugandans are very adaptable. She invited delegates to invest in higher education, polytechnics and vocation schools. She added that if one invested in education in Uganda, they would have an advantage throughout East Africa because many people from Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania study in Uganda, still the education destination of choice in the East African community. The Rt. Hon. Speaker concluded her address by thanking everybody for listening to her. She called upon the ministers present to elaborate on the areas that the delegates wanted to learn about. She ended by reiterating her delight to be at the convention and that all she had shared was for God and her country. Video at: www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk |3 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d “Fellow Ugandans” Hon Kadaga said, “I also want to thank you all in the Diaspora for the contribution to our economy which we cannot take for granted. We really want to thank you for your support.” The Rt Hon Speaker shared some statistics about Uganda’s population and housing sector: The population of Uganda is growing at a rate of 3.2 % which means that the bulk of the population is below 35 years. These are young people, most of them in the lower and middle income group, will need houses Currently, Uganda has a deficit of more than 2million housing units just for the urban areas although it is a fact that this population will need schools, quality hospitals and quality recreation facilities The oil industry which has recently been discovered will bring new opportunities. Uganda expects to receive more expatriates with their families and their support services. They will need satellite cities in different parts of Uganda, facilities unique to them, opportunities that she would like delegates to explore Uganda has become the UN regional office for Africa. This presents opportunities as they require office space, housing and sports and other facilities. She informed delegates that Government is constructing the Entebbe-Kampala express highway to minimise inconvenience to travellers on that route. She said the government is expected to construct additional facilities like flyovers within the city and in other towns to ease their movements so that they are not inconvenienced. Ug a n T he Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga started her address by extending greetings to the delegates from the President, Parliament and the people of Uganda. The Tourism Industry, where for example lodges can be set up along the crater lakes of the Rift Valley; or along Lake Nyatoto, the Kazinga channel and the hills of Bunyaruguru. She mentioned the rich and unique history of various kingdoms that could be marketed as well, especially the Karamoja area, where the First Lady has done a good job to bring up the welfare of these people. The Karamoja people have a unique way of life with a rich heritage and she urged delegates to take an interest in the Karamoja area and visit it. Uganda has Lake Victoria, Lake George, Lake Kyoga, Lake Edward and the River Nile and boat cruises and water rafting are still unexploited possibilities. She called on delegates to take interest in the water transport and in leisure boats on all the lakes. growing sectors in the Ugandan economy.
  • 4. Transcript of the H.E. Mrs. Janet Kataaha Museveni, First Lady of the Republic of Uganda and Minister for Karamoja Affairs They set to work with the cooperation of the UPDF, who reinforced the disarmament exercise by including the Karamojong elders who, in turn, helped by mobilising the youth for peace. The police galvanised the numbers to ensure that law and order was in place and Local Defence Units (LDUs) were trained by police to ensure that communication at the grassroots was easy, as LDUs were Karamojong themselves. As security forces continued to stabilise villages and communities, they started new initiatives on food production. T he First Lady of Uganda and Minister for Karamoja Affairs started her speech by expressing great pleasure to be at the 2nd Uganda Convention in UK. She conveyed greetings from the President and all the people of Uganda and said it was gratifying to know that Ugandans in London are still interested to know about what is happening in Uganda, and especially in a corner like Karamoja, which most people don’t normally really care about. Hon. Museveni informed the delegates that she came to the convention in response to an invitation by the chairman Mr. Willy Mutenza, to share her experience, successes and challenges in her work in Karamoja. The Minister reminded delegates that she was given this assignment in 2009, when the region at that time, had just been through a drought for three years. She said the region was dry, there was shortage of food but surprisingly the cattle were not as thin as she had expected. There was shortage of water for both people and cattle. The situation was bleak and people had no hope for anything to change. She reminded delegates of the expression that was so common that “the rest of Uganda cannot wait for Karamoja to develop” Mrs Museveni shared that some few years before she was appointed, the president has pitched camp in Karamoja for three month and had launched the disarmament programme which was on-going. Unfortunately, she said, the poverty levels were the engine that drove conflict and insecurity in the region. Therefore, there was a need to get God’s own wisdom and inspiration that would breathe life back to this devastated region of Uganda. She wondered how many delegates remembered the biblical story in the book of Ezekiel Chapter 37, which talks about the valley of bones.The First Lady said,” If you know it, you will understand that, if God could raise the valley of the dry bones into a standing army of Israel, then Karamoja was nothing to God, for God can do all things”. Therefore” she said, “our work in Karamoja started with a lot of prayer and believing in God to lead our plans”. Having recognised that the women who form the bulk of farmers in Karamoja, as they do in the rest of Africa, were too weak and too discouraged to plough and plant enough to get them out of the vicious cycle of famine and food relief, they initiated a tractor hire scheme, whereby a commercial firm was brought in to plough, harrow and plant an agreed acreage for identified vulnerable households and women groups to ensure that they would get adequate quantities of food. Her ministry, and NAADS, Ministry Of Agriculture and other donor agencies supplied seeds and other planting materials. They started by opening up some 2300 acres for vulnerable households at that time. In the last season, they opened up 20,000 acres and planted food in all the districts of Karamoja. This is over and above what some farmers manage to do for themselves. “Presently”, she said, “some able farmers make independent arrangements with commercial farms to hire tractors to open up land. Others are already asking government to help them acquire tractors, while others are beginning to discuss ways they can come together, as farmer associations can bring in big harvests, manage their produce better and obtain better prices on the market for their produce. She assured delegates that the mind-set of the people in Karamoja is already changing Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d Her first task, Mrs.Museven said, was to conduct a monitoring tour of all the 41 sub-counties of Karamoja to understand the development and challenges faced by these people. Through dialogue with the grassroots population and communities interaction, she was exposed to the pains and suffering of the ordinary families in Karamoja. “I touched the depth of the tragedy of many years of isolation of these communities and the despair of these people was truly emotionally draining”, she said. “In my hands, I held children debilitated by acute malnutrition while talking to mothers whose only hope was the next supply of irregular food ration of humanitarian agencies. I knew then that we had the responsibility to get our people out of abject poverty and to lead them to prosperity where we are as a country in Uganda now.” She elaborated that the Ministry of Karamoja, under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) launched a comprehensive food security plan for Karamoja which was to consolidate the approach towards a transformed production system, although there was need for some emergency measures. They therefore came up with a short term solution to get the population back in the mode of growing food for themselves instead of relying on food aid. |4 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 5. The Minister informed delegates that the Ministry of Water which is responsible for providing water reservoirs in the country, has constructed one reservoir per district in Karamoja. She was hopeful that when all these water points are completed, there will be sufficient water for animals and for irrigation assisted agriculture. Mrs.Museveni said that in addition, they have boreholes for domestic use and are working with UNICEF to ensure repair or drilling where necessary so that they can ensure clean water for communities wherever they may be. They also want to fit solar pumps on each borehole so that communities can be empowered to grow vegetables around the water source using drip irrigation, thus improving the nutrition status of households in Karamoja. On community empowerment, the Minister reported that they have designed the program specifically to try to bridge the gap left by cattle rustling, which at times left families too vulnerable to know how to survive. In efforts to motivate such families, they provide livestock such as cattle or goats to some women and youth groups and they include some oxen so that they can enable people to revive the use of ox ploughs for agriculture. In order to curb cattle theft, the minister said they started an electronic branding of all cattle in Karamoja. The practice involves inserting an electronic chip in the stomach of the cow, containing information such as name of owner, its locality, colour of the cow etc. If the animal is stolen then traced, an electronic monitor can easily read the information and the cow relocated to its rightful owner. She said this form of cattle branding has helped a lot to minimise cattle rustling in Karamoja. The people have regained the confidence that they can actually keep their animals once branded. So far, 80,000 heads of cattle have been branded and the exercise is still on-going. “I am glad On the education sector, Mrs.Museveni noted that Karamoja has lagged behind because of various challenges which include infrastructure, school buildings and staff houses, lifestyles and attitudes of communities, leading to low enrolment and high dropout rates. She lamented that despite the progress the country has made in education, Karamoja is only still at 12% literacy rate, which is very low. In response to this, the minister reported, the government of Uganda, assisted by partners in development like Irish Aid, have constructed new staff houses and classrooms. She said they will continue on this road to consolidate these achievements through the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund in the next three years. “As part of the affirmative action for Karamoja under UPE and USE, Karamoja children access free education and 100 scholarships for tertiary education are set aside for Karamoja children every year. Government also plans to build model boarding primary and secondary schools throughout the region, complete with teachers’ houses so that children are taught and fed and kept in school full time instead of dropping out.” Reporting on the health sector, the Minister informed delegates that provision of health services has remained a big challenge in Karamoja. The region continues to report high levels of maternal and infant mortality rates. She identified the following as critical factors responsible for the crisis: inadequate accommodation for health workers and inability to attract and retain qualified staff, thus making service delivery particularly difficult. In order to address these challenges, she said government has taken the following steps: allocating resources through PRDP and NUSAF 2; two district hospitals in Abim and Moroto have been elevated to referral medical facilities for that region; collaborating with private hospitals like Matany missionary hospital to train midwives and nurses who will be absorbed into government health facilities; through MOH and UNICEF, immunisation, nutritional therapy, sanitation and sensitisation of communities on maternal and child care. She concluded that in an effort to bring primary healthcare services closer to the people, UNICEF has helped them to establish village health teams in communities across the region of Karamoja. Village health teams are small health clinics at village level. The Minister informed delegates that the roads in Karamoja region, like any other infrastructure, suffered many years of lack of maintenance and because of insecurity, the road network was not used. Therefore, there was no maintenance for a long time and in the rainy season, floods would wash away bridges. To alleviate the situation, the Government has decided to upgrade some of the roads in Karamoja to make them permanent. Some funds have been secured to commence work on the MorotoNakapiripirit road. The Ministry Of Works, through the National Roads Authority (NRA), has also advised Public Private Partnership (PPP) for the working on several roads. PPP is a strategy they use in Karamoja to try to change the road network. The Minister concluded that she had no doubt that this improvement in infrastructure will boost development and will open the region to further investment opportunities. Addressing the housing sector, the First Lady reported that the Karamojong have for a long time lived in grass thatched houses, in community settlements known as manyatas. “Knowing the role of good housing in promoting better quality of life and taking the aspirations of local people to experience social recovery and transformation, we have piloted the construction of permanent housing settlements in Nadunget, in Acerere village, Kamuswahili, in Moroto town and Olengedwat, in Nakapiripirit district” she highlighted. She elaborated that each organised homestead has twenty homes fully connected with solar lighting. Around those homes are situated schools, water sources and an agricultural production area. This arrangement, it is hoped, will act as an incentive for future development of permanent homes in the area. Mrs. Museveni outlined government interventions in the area of Rural Electrification. She said Government has completed construction of electricity lines in the areas of Muyembe, Namalu, Amudat, Soroti, Katakwi and Moroto, and was exploring solar power initiatives with private sector. She encouraged Ugandans at the convention to explore participating in this programme of rural electrification. “As we look to the future, we shall continue to work towards the region producing its own food, engaging in other development activities and with improved infrastructure. Therefore, we shall attract investors to help the region harness its natural resources and potential so that prosperity can become a reality in this region” the minister stated. She concluded that they hope to achieve all these aims within the framework of Karamoja Integrated Development Program. The program enables all stakeholders to contribute and stay together as equal partners for the progress of Karamoja, a region of |5 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d Turning to the situation of water supply, the Minister reported that the government of Uganda put in place a framework to guide this recovery and development in the whole of northern region and Karamoja, called PRDP. Under this program, they set to provide water both for human and animal consumption. By the end of this year, they hope to have at least 15 parish valley dams and hope to provide at least one valley dam per parish for animals in all 177 parishes in Karamoja. The rest of the valley dams will be constructed under NUSAF2 program, starting at the end of this year. to report that the people of Karamoja have embraced and appreciated this intervention. Neighbouring districts have requested for this service to be extended to their livestock as well”, the minister concluded. Ug a n with an illustration that when they started this mission, 70% of the people in Karamoja were living on food aid but today the food insecure families are only 10%.
  • 6. opportunity for private entrepreneurs and investors from within and outside Uganda. adaptation of global warming and climate change. The First Lady proceeded to list what Karamoja has to offer: Karamoja is home to one of the most beautiful and highly endowed game parks in Uganda, the Kidepo National Game Park. The stunning and unique scenery in the region and undisturbed habitat offer tremendous opportunity for eco-tourism. The vast territory with its rich volcanic soils is a great advantage for mechanised commercial crop and livestock agriculture to feed the market within Uganda, as well as the regional and global demands. The region is rich with various minerals, many of them ready for exploration. Avenues for green energy production, including solar and fuel thermal renewable energy, are unparalleled. “This meeting, focussing on sustainable prosperity, should embrace these opportunities and encourage all Ugandans, friends and partners in development and entrepreneurs, to pursue these opportunities in Karamoja. In so doing, we shall have a win-win situation, where profits are shared, and the people of Karamoja can taste prosperity like the rest of the world”, emphasised Mrs. Museveni. There are opportunities for large forests plantations to offer carbon credit to partners from industrialised countries, as well as for contributing towards mitigation and Transcript of 2. 3. Establish in northern Uganda and Karamoja a government and state authority again and the community and government structures are beginning to pick up so that they can lead progress of northern Ugandan and Karamoja To revitalize the economies of the people at micro level so that the national economy can be fed at the macro level as well and this is happening right now he confirmed. Rebuilding communities as a third objective and a finally putting in place conflict resolution mechanism. UCU United We Can UK Ug a n Hon. Museveni once again, thanked the organisers for giving her the opportunity to share her experience with the convention delegates. “I thank you for listening to me and God Bless you” Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ugandansinuk to develop grassroots initiatives and this helps us as a government to finance people directly not to finance government structures through household livelihood investment support; so far we have constructed infrastructure for basic social services; we have established peace and stability as well as constructed road in northern Uganda and Karamoja. He disclosed that the government of Ugandan provides over 100billion Ug Shs as additional support beyond the ordinary budget that we do every year this is a substantial force to propel northern Uganda forward and this is in addition to $100m (Shs240b) from the World Bank into the second phase of NUSAF II as part of PRDP. Also he reported that through northern NUSAF over $15million dollars every year to the districts of northern Uganda and so far he reported that the success is at the level of the real tangible gains for households and people of northern Ugandan are rebounding back although there is a lot of work to be done but hope and possible avenues for future progression. He further reported that the challenges of education which the 1st Lady and Minister of Karamoja mentioned in karamoja and northern Ugandan is still real although we have constructed over 1464 units of teachers through NUSAF and additional through PRDP though more still needs to be done in education. On lively woods he further reported that they have reached over 96750 families with concrete s at the level of household to buy goat to be able to invest in their micro enterprises. He assured that if we do this for another 3 years our society will become a little better than it is now. He reinforced that in Karamoja we approaching under 3 dimensions; putting money in the hands of ordinary people not institutions of government so the planning unit in karamoja is the manyata popularly known as the ere, we plan with the ordinary mothers, children and youth on what investment they would have; we give the money on special project accounts for the ordinary people controlled by the people themselves and not by anybody in government and this has enabled people to be empowered and to control their destiny in their hands. Dr. Limlim said that the government has deliberately agreed that unless our people control their destiny not just the government structures then it is very difficult for them to own the progress that is happening and the resources so far that we have released to the whole of northern Ugandan is 115billion UgShs under the social action fund of northern Uganda. He informed that World Food Program and DFID provided £12 million for food security as the 1st lady and minister for Karamoja has just highlighted. Finally he invited all the people of Uganda and the well wishers in the Diaspora to join the hands of the people that are already in the trenches trying to dig out development in the hands of Uganda and we hope that tomorrow our country will be better for all of us. It is only us who have our destiny in our hands and he called upon Ugandans to unite in this quest for progress because prosperity is in our hands now, lastly he thanked the Convention organisers for inviting the Karamoja team invited all to northern Uganda and karamoja to see the development taking place in reality. Co n v en on ti d He further assured that in the next four years after the renewal of Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP), we shall consolidate on these gains and northern Uganda should be at the level where the rest of Uganda can now join in the progression of our country without special attention as it used to be in the last four years. In northern Uganda through the northern Uganda social action fund we have been able an Concluding her presentation, the First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs called upon all present to join them on this She pledged the commitment of the government of Uganda to support any endeavour towards enhancing the prosperity of Karamoja. Dr. Robert Limlim Dr. Robert Limlim is the Director of the second Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) program, he accompanied the 1st lady and during his presentation he started by inviting Ugandans and friends of Uganda to consider the peace and recovery program that has been launched by the government for the whole of northern Ugandan including Karamoja that has made tremendous progress in the recovery of our people after the various decades of war. Happily he said that NUSAF program has only run for 3 years but the results are resounding and was happy to share the 3 objectives that NUSAF focus on as the over arching principle of recovery. 1. Citing that Europe could not be complete without Germany, whose role is very significant in the contemporary Europe, she said that Uganda’s development cannot be complete without the development of Karamoja. journey to bring our brothers to the same level with the rest of Uganda, in dignity and prosperity. “The development of Karamoja”, she reiterated, “is a collective responsibility. It is a frontier we have to cross even as we celebrate the golden jubilee of our independence. Fortunately investments opportunities are wide open for us to exploit for the good of the Karamojong and Uganda at large”. |6 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 7. Transcript of the Hon. Tress Bucyanayandi Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries a finished product. Arabica coffee could be brought in to supplement Uganda’s production, standing now at 15% Arabica and 85% Robusta. Cocoa is coming up significantly in Uganda and again investors are invited to take advantage of the value addition opportunities by converting cocoa into by-products like chocolate. In the area of fruits and vegetables, the Minister said that Uganda’s pineapples and other fruits are some of the sweetest and that there is vast opportunities as the international market is demanding fresh and dried fruits. On floral culture, he advised investors to look at growing other types of flowers where again the market offers big opportunities. The Minister advised people to start looking at manufacturing and producing fish using fish cages and ponds as the demand is extremely high all over the world. Uganda used to earn more than $183 million from exports but the figures are not promising due to low investment in the sector. He mentioned the success story of Uganda and Nile breweries, leading in the growing of barley and sorghum to produce beer. Kinyara sugar works is reaching out to commercial sugar growers to help farmers benefit especially during this time when Uganda produces less sugar. And he advised investors to The seed industry is another sector the Minister quoted, disclosing that only 15% of Uganda’s seed is improved, offering great opportunities to improve this figure. Regarding fertilisers, Uganda does not even use 1 kilogram of fertilisers per hectare per year. . Phosphates and lime can be exploited to produce fertilisers, as well as derivatives of the oil industry and other minerals . He further reported that though Uganda has a good climate, commercial irrigation is still needed to support commercial farming. He finally informed delegates that Uganda needs investment in agroprocessing urgently because the industry will not grow without adding value to raw products. The country needs to sustain the production for its fast growing population and be able to supply the local and regional food demand. It also needs to increase the shelf life of finished products. Lastly, he advised people to take advantage of minimum and tax exemption on agro-processing and machineries as reported by Jolly K. Kaguhangire from the Uganda Revenue Authority. He concluded his speech by thanking Mr. Willy Mutenza and his team for inviting him with his team to the Convention and encouraged him to persuade delegates to go and invest in Uganda and take advantage of the peace, good climate and incentives given to investors. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk |7 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d In the agro-processing sector, the Minister pointed out that most of the cotton is exported raw instead of being processed in final textile which would add value to the exported product. And some of this crop could be processed into animal feeds or oil. He added that Uganda produces the best coffee which can be roasted in Uganda and turn it in In the dairy sector ,he reported a tremendous increase in the output where 1.8 billion litres of milk annually were produced, with potential for growth. Milk coolers and abattoirs for processing meat for export especially to the middle east market are one of those the Minister advised immediate investments in. He further said that Uganda can’t increase productive by using the old manual methods. Machinery and innovative commercial technology and know-how is needed in the country to increase productivity. He advised on investors to come and start a tractor hire service as many people can’t afford to buy their own tractor but can afford to hire at a reasonable cost. Ug a n H on. Tress Bucyanayandi, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries started his speech by emphasised that agriculture is the most important sector in Ugandan economy. He stated that out of a population of 34 million people, agriculture employs 4.5 million directly in farming and another 2.5 million people engaged in other various agriculture related activities. And more than 77% of the population is engaged in this sector. He was happy to report that agriculture’s performance grew by 3% over the previous year. He reported that the Ugandan government has a target of raising a family’s income to about 20million UgShs per family per year, which is achievable if some enterprise routes are exploited. Due to the rising population in the region and Uganda, producing cereals and grain foods are some of the best opportunities because the raw product can be converted into animal feeds and also food for human consumption. look at investing in sugar cane farming as the regional demand is high.
  • 8. Transcript of the Hon. Maria Kiwanuka The Hon. Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development The Hon. Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Maria Kiwanuka, opened her address by thanking Ugandans in London for looking after the Ugandan Olympic team and most of all for helping Kiprotich win the marathon gold medal. She expressed her appreciation of the role the Ugandan diaspora played in the development of Uganda, not only for the remittances sent by the the Diaspora, but also for the good ideas generated and the business contacts that they attracted to the country. Hon. Kiwanuka stated that there was no doubt that the focus for this year’s convention, Career and Investment Opportunities in Uganda, was of critical importance to the government’ prioritisation to renewing the country’s economic growth. The government’s strategy is to support value-added in agroprocessing, skilling of the workforce in areas that are most relevant to the job market and lowering the cost of doing business by increasing the stock of infrastructure, energy, roads and water transport networks. She said that the government is very much aware that the private sector both inside and outside Uganda is the engine of growth, responsible for over 80% of GDP and that the government’s best role is to see where it can help the private sector to achieve its optimum returns. Hon. Kiwanuka reported that, in order to maximise returns and target limited resources to most critical areas, the government is concentrating on the following areas: Infrastructure development; roads repair , maintenance and expansion; power generation, power transmission and distribution Research development which includes skilling of workforce, and training our trainers, to make sure that our people get back to work. Research and development in improved seeds, improved animal semen and how best to control crop diseases and pest diseases. Assist with business regulatory frameworks to streamline and rationalise the licensing and regulation framework to ensure business people/ entrepreneurs are not frustrated in their efforts to set up or continue their businesses. Selection of public /private partnerships i.e. first contractor financing or contractor facilitated financing., and energy transmission lines or energy generation whereby mini hydro schemes are set up to sell power to the government ,to be sold to the ultimate consumer. Hon. Kiwanuka stated that 3 key bench mark questions will be asked in order to maximise returns: Does the investment increase the stock of infrastructure, productive infrastructure, roads power and irrigation and ICT? Does the investment add value to its product or process? Will it enable the product or process to be produced cheaper or better? Does the investment lower the cost of doing business? And if, so by how much? “In the year 2010, the Ugandan Diaspora sent back remittances over 40 billion Shillings excluding informal flows. With the global economy continuing to register slow growth and persistence of the crisis in the Euro zone, the government cannot ignore the potential of private financial flows from Ugandans in the Diaspora in forms of property income, equity investments and pension payments among others. The advantage of such
  • 9. investments is that they are more stable than wage income but also enable the owners to broaden their investment portfolios.” Hon. Kiwanuka urged delegates not to forget the fact that returns on investment right now are highest in Africa including Uganda, and the risk perceptions are not as high as has been previously envisaged, especially since Uganda is changing her export strategy to focus more on the regional aspects. She said that Uganda is the only country in East Africa that is a net exporter of food and appealed to delegates to improve on the production, the productivity and to add value to this area. The government has 10 commodities for priority interest, these being maize, beans, cassava, rice, bananas, fresh water fish, dairy cattle and beef cattle. The second area Hon. Kiwanuka discussed was regulatory and licensing reform. A number of initiatives have been undertaken by the government to create an enabling business environment and to minimise the cost of doing business in order to attract more international investments, including those of the Diaspora. These programmes are geared towards infrastructure and skills development , the pension sector to be newly liberalised and regulatory and licensing reforms. The government will establish the business entry one-stop-shop by integrating business incorporation with other business registration processes such as taxes, registration, licensing and social security registration. This would reduce the time and cost associated with starting and running a business. It will employ ICT tools to enable sharing of critical information on businesses. Hon. Kiwanuka fully accepted that there are other issues that will require broader policy consideration beyond the scope of licensing reforms, including local government financing, enforcement gaps, regulatory overlap, costs and inefficiencies associated with centralised services. She recognised a need to improve co-ordination between various government agencies on policy matters. She said that her ministry is already working closely with the relevant sectors where these problems have been reported in agriculture, local government, fisheries, trade, health, environment, hotel and tourism sectors. Hon. Kiwanuka concluded her speech by assuring the delegates of the support of the government in all their plans to increase business and other economic set ups in the country and that the government looks forward to their contributions towards revitalisation of growth and sustainable development in Uganda. She hailed the close connection her ministry has with the High Commission, and urged delegates to give any problems or issues which they would like her ministry to address to the High Commissioner or deputy High Commissioner who will make sure that she receives them in the quickest possible time. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk |9 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d came up Ug a n The Ministry of Finance with recommendations for business licenses reform. It identified a total of 790 licenses, permits, user charges issued by both central and local government agencies countrywide. It recommended that some of these be eliminated and have already done so because they do not serve any regulatory purpose. Another 400 will be retained, streamlined or reclassified. The implementation of these recommendations will save the private sector more than 25% in their current licensing costs . It will also ensure that licenses are used to serve legitimate regulatory purposes and not revenue generating purposes. The Government is also to establish an official e-registry to house all information on approved business licenses which will minimise duplication of submission of information and excessive licensing. It will serve as a definitive repository of information on licensing requirements, thus will increase transparency and compliance by the private sector.
  • 10. Transcript of the Opportunity Uganda Sector Panel Discussion Keynote address by Rt Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga Sector Panel Discussion: Moderator: Joel Kibazo, JK Associates Panellists: 1. Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey 2. Dr Andrew G. Seguya, Ag. Executive Director, CEO | Uganda Wildlife Authority 3. Jolly K. Kaguhangire, Commissioner - Uganda Revenue Authority 4. Mr. Sebaggala M. Kigozi, Executive Director – Uganda Manufacturing Association (UMA) 5. Amb. Agnes Kalibbala, Director for Housing - Ministry of Lands and Housing Baroness Chalker was the first panellist to address the delegates. She said that the opportunities in Uganda are there for the taking, but no one should delay at taking them, as many other African countries are also vying for investors. About 15 years ago, she did not think that a music school in Kampala was viable but now the capital has such a school teaching music, like the violin and various wind instruments. Baroness Chalker criticised the fact that too much time is spent talking about what might be done, rather than taking a decision and implementing it. She said agriculture is critical not just for Africa, but for the rest of the world. Population is increasing very fast in many countries of Africa. Unless value is added and the growth of agriculture is extended all over Uganda, the country will not keep up with its own needs, nor will there be sufficient food for the surrounding countries, despite there being good export markets right on Uganda’s borders. She shared some thoughts on how tourists could be used to better the country by inviting them to Uganda to help build schools and centres. She ended by advising the delegates to “take every opportunity, take the decision and get on with it”. Next, Dr. Andrew Seguya gave a brief overview of the opportunities in the wildlife sector. He stated that Uganda occupies only 0.01% of the land mass of the world, but has 17% of all biodiversity, a very big percentage for such a small country. In terms of tourism, Uganda has 10% of its land mass classified as protected areas where a lot of this biodiversity abounds, and where 20% of all water bodies and 30% of all forest cover can be found. Tourism is the highest earning sector in Uganda, bringing in over 1 billion US Dollars in 2011. 80-90% of this was contributed by the protected areas. Gorillas alone brought in about 80% of this revenue. Dr. Seguya invited delegates to invest in tourism if they wanted to get some of the highest returns. He gave an example of a tourist paying 300 dollars per night for the use of a tent. He pointed out that there are investment opportunities in accommodation, for stop-over facilities in the national parks, around which different businesses can be built. There is also need for investment in helicopter tourism and hot air balloon rides, things that are not in existence on the ground at the moment. Dr. Seguya also mentioned birding as an important area for investment. There are 1067 bird species in Uganda in Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d She said that people still have a very warm and positive attitude towards Uganda, but that the country must not let up in making the positive news well known way beyond East Africa. Whilst she believes that Uganda has the best economic opportunities, the country will not succeed if it is disorganised or silent. She was not referring to the excellent organisation at the convention; she meant getting outside the Diaspora, getting to other people who have sympathy for East Africa, which can be particularly done through tourism. | 10 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 11. Mr. Kigozi said that the manufacturing sector in Uganda is basically a virgin area. Uganda imports 90% of its consumables, and produces the other 10%. 80% of raw materials that could be produced in Uganda are imported, so investors are needed to bridge the gap in both areas. Only 10% of the fruit is processed, and the rest is exported raw. Investors are needed to have 90% processed within the country before export. Of the 300,000 metric tonnes of oil consumed in Uganda, only 126,000 are produced within the country. Most of the items produced in the country are packaged but 50% of packaging materials are imported, which means only 50% is produced within the country, so there is a gap that can be filled in all these areas. Mr. Kigozi went on to say that Uganda has celebrated the oil/ petroleum discovery satellite town along the new road through Entebbe to Kampala, the southern bypass, to decongest Kampala, so that people in Wakiso can stay there instead of rushing to Kampala. This town will be called Ssisa town. There are plans to set up tourist cities like Buvuma Island, to look like the Seychelles to attract more tourists. Ambassador Kalibbala next outlined the Mrs. Jolly Kaguhangire of the Uganda investment opportunities in the housing sector. She stated that there is a deficit of about 3 million housing units. In this regard, the government of Uganda has put in place a number of projects which she hopes investors and members of the Diaspora present at the convention will get interested in. The first one is the building of housing for civil servants, starting with teachers and doctors. The pilot aims to redevelop the Mulago doctor’s village on about 60 acres of land and build a well planned residential area with commercial and recreational facilities to improve the wellbeing of doctors and nurses, enabling them to do their jobs more effectively. The same will be done for the teachers. Revenue Authority (URA) began her address by informing the delegates that the URA has undergone reform since 2005, in which the approach to tax collection was changed from a military approach to a more user friendly approach in order to facilitate trade and enhance voluntary compliance. The URA’s mandate is to collect revenues and non-tax revenues on behalf of the government. It had to reform, as the old approach did not help the organisation to excel in what it was doing and without trade, the organisation would not survive. The urbanisation rate in Uganda is very high. There will be about 5 million people in Kampala very soon. To decongest the capital, the ministry is planning the redevelopment of the slums, to accommodate all levels of income and will avail commercial premises for the people living there. Through the decongestion plan, there are hopes of starting new satellite towns, taking advantage of the new hydropower dam that will be constructed in Karuma. There needs to be houses, hotels and residential areas built around the area. There might be the need to put up a She finally invited investors and the Diaspora to come and work with the government to make these plans for the redevelopment of Kampala and the setting up of satellite towns a reality. The government is looking at investors to provide bridging finance, funds for construction and production of affordable building materials, establishment of manufacturing factories for the production of tiles, marble, floor tiles, and glass to develop the real estate sector. Reform was achieved primarily through the use of technology and the modernisation of services. The URA now has e-services that were introduced in 2009, to ease the manner in which entrepreneurs can pay taxes, enabling them to do so at their convenience, from any location in the world. The authority also increased support and availability of information to ease payment of taxes. Mrs. Kaguhangire also mentioned that there are tax exemptions in specific areas. Starting in July this year, the government decided to support agro-processing, so importation of any new plant and machinery is tax free; exportation of finished goods (80% or more) is tax free; permanent employment of people with | 11 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d He also mentioned that the authority is aware that individuals may not have sufficient capital for investment, but that the funds for investment can be raised collectively. With the public private partnership law in the pipeline, the National Wildlife Authority will set up an investment vehicle where groups can put money together to be invested in an agreed project. Entrepreneurs with limited funds will thereby still be able to pool funds for an investment and earn returns on it. but he had not seen many investors looking at the numerous by-products of the oil as investment opportunities. He said that it was high time delegates paid attention to that sector and prepared to take advantage of it. 95% of all drugs used in Uganda are imported and these are simple drugs that can be manufactured within the country. He encouraged delegates to look at the 95% as a gap that they can fill and even export the excess drugs to other countries within the East African region, such as South Sudan and D.R Congo. Almost 100% of leather, hides and skins are exported raw, leaving a big gap in the market for the processing of these products. Shoes, bags, suitcases and other leather products must be produced in Uganda .There is a plastics industry in Uganda, but only 40% is produced within the country, a situation calling for more investment. Ug a n comparison to 700 species in Europe and 650 species in North America. Queen Elizabeth national park, which covers 2500 square kilometres, has 700 species of birds. There is a need for specialised birding equipment creating investment opportunities in this area. Mountain climbing needs to be invested in, as well as mountain climbing equipment/gear. Uganda has probably the only mountain in the world, Mt. Rwenzori, on which one can experience all four seasons. Sport fishing, walking safaris, night safaris all provide investment opportunities because they require specialised equipment that is not readily available in Uganda at the moment. Uganda has the biggest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Victoria, and the River Nile where tourist boats need to invested in, as well as boat accommodation.
  • 12. disabilities earns firms some exemptions; there is no tax on income received from investment in education and scientific research on capital expenditures is tax free. She concluded by saying that the services provided by URA are good like its 24 hr support, payment by mobile, and the services provided are integrated. The speaker of the House, Right Hon. Rebecca Kadaga spoke next and enumerated areas that do not require a lot of capital to invest in. She started with wildlife, mentioned attractions such as the climbing lions in Kanungu in the deep West, as well as the mountain gorillas. She particularly wanted to inform the delegates of a new type of tourism in Uganda based on the traditional life of the Ugandan people. She gave an example of a former colleague of hers who left parliament and currently runs a lodge, where tourists pay for the privilege of milking cows and digging in the garden, living the traditional African lifestyle. This is an investment that does not require a lot of funding. She suggested that this could be extended to include activities like pottery, giving them the rare experience of making pots in Africa, showing it is possible to do more without spending too much money. Right Hon. Kadaga also tried to interest the delegates in investment opportunities around Lake Bunyonyi, the second deepest lake in the world. Tourists pay for the privilege of using canoes on the lake and pay about £400per night to sleep in a simple wooden lodge. She also called the delegates’ attention to religious tourism and said a lot more marketing was needed for the Uganda Martyrs. this is something that she has put right at the top of her agenda in the next six months. Next followed a commentary and question time. Dr. Seguya then answered a query on Subhash Thakrar, the chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce, Ugandan by birth, who has been involved in investing in India, suggested that the government produce a dedicated, certified list of opportunities on a website that people can look at, something that has been done in India. This can be certified by a leading accounting or law firm. He said that since western investors today have plenty of choice to invest in Asia and other countries in Africa, it was time for Uganda to show up the best opportunities available by selling them. Next, Baroness Chalker answered a query on the political climate and the viability of infrastructure in Uganda (roads, hospitals) so that investors can come to Uganda and invest confidently. Baroness Chalker agreed with the Chairman of the London chamber of Commerce, saying it is indeed necessary to have dedicated certified list of opportunities with the best opportunities highlighted. She added that this should be the job of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) and of every Ugandan High Commission and Embassy around the world. She also said there was a need to reform the working practices of the UIA and strengthen its staffing. She reported that she had been asked to help with this reform, together with some dedicated workshops, particularly in the area of information technology (ICT), in the area of agriculture and indeed also on the preparations for oil, gas and power development. Baroness Chalker mentioned that while it is wonderful in many ways that oil has been found, Uganda is not yet ready to make the most of this bonus coming out of the ground. Many more artisan workers and scientists are needed to make sure that oil and gas production and transportation is done properly and maximises the return to the Ugandan people. She assured the delegates that incentives in the tourism sector and progress on the East African single visa regime. He said that the East African parliament is looking at not only issuing a single East African visa, but also at selling East Africa as a single destination. He said they were working on the protection of the smaller states from the stronger ones. He gave an example of tour companies in Kenya being able to buy all the gorilla permits in Uganda with one cheque, thereby pushing all the other tour companies out of business. Dr. Seguya assured delegates that the framework for the single visa is currently being worked out and it will happen. As the last speaker of the session, Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament added that that there are still a number of issues that need to be agree on within the community, such as sovereignty and which type of passports will be issued. With regard to the political climate, the speaker assured delegates that elections are held every five years and to confirm that politicians from different parties co-exist, she mentioned Commissioner Dombo a member of the NRM, Hon. Balikuddembe, a member of the opposition, Hon. Allen, a former member of the Diaspora who returned home and contested as an independent candidate and Hon. Janet Karuhanga, independent MP for the youth. Right Hon. Kadaga told delegates that the government is equally concerned about the health situation and addressing it. The government has secured loans to redo all the major hospitals in the country. She concluded by telling the delegates that things are going to change as long as the government receives the support that it needs. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d In Busoga, she said the government is looking to market the Hannington site in Kyando where Bishop Hannington was killed. Given that Bishop Hannington was sent to Uganda by the Church of England, people from the Church of England could visit the site as a pilgrimage. She mentioned that at the end of this year, there will be a Busoga tourism expo aimed at marketing all nine chiefdoms, as well as religious sites in the area as a starting point. She concluded by inviting delegates for the Busoga tourism expo in December promising that it will be very exciting. | 12 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 13. Transcript of the presentation by Amongin Aporu Christine, Minister of State for Teso Affairs science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future”, which could be referred to Ugandans. “What our country has gone through over the 50 years should give us a guide to be able to choose what to do to achieve the best for our country”, she said. She appealed to Ugandans in the Diaspora to help combat the challenges of flooding in Teso region. This could be an investment opportunity as most of the bridges get flooded, though she admitted that the government was trying to do its best to overcome this calamity. Teso region is peaceful and people should take the PPP* (public private partnership) arrangement to engage in business with the assurance of the government as a partner. H on. Christine Amongin, the Minister of State for Teso Affairs reminded the audience about the 1st Ugandan UK Convention that took place in August 2011. “We came out of that Convention” she said, “with recommendations and resolute to forge the way forward in concerted efforts to make Uganda our pride and a better place to live in. We are here now to review our commitments and how to build on what we have done.” She said that at the first Convention, the main objective of Teso Affairs Ministry was to closely oversee Government programs and ensuring their fasttracking towards accelerated social and economic development in the Teso Region. She explained that having been a new Department of Government in the previous financial year, the Ministry operations were, to a large extent, budget constrained. However, she reported gladly that the Ministry has been allocated a vote and a budget for this financial year. She implored Ugandans to reflect on the 50 years journey after attaining independence and quoted a phrase by She gladly reported that since the 1st Convention, she managed to get some charities from London to work on various projects in Teso. She mention in particular River Flow Ministries who help people on agriculture development. Another charity, Ark Schools, has now constructed 12 secondary schools in the region and all these thanks to the effort of the convention which has allowed the Teso Affairs Ministry to forge good relationship with these charities. The Minister said that Teso is open for business. Projects in value addition are needed in the region to take advantage of the abundance of cassava and potatoes. She reported some good developments in the region, including the University. His Excellency the President directed the establishment of Teso University sooner than was expected. She reported the Teso University Task Force was accordingly launched by the Minister of Education and Sports, and the university is set to commence in July 2013. She called on skilled Ugandans to go and teach in the two faculties in human resources and IT to commence with the opening of the University. The region is also working with a Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to construct a fruit factory, which will add value to the many citrus fruit grown in the region. Teso Tropical Growers are calling upon Ugandans in London to take advantage of the investment opportunity, particularly in the agricultural sector. The Teso Affairs Ministry will continue with the emphasis on improving on performance of all agricultural programs, both in the public and private sector to strengthen agricultural production, including food security. She assured investors that rural electrification is one of the major government policies. In pursuit of this policy, Government put in place the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to ensure electric energy is availed in the rural areas. The task is ongoing and many rural areas have been placed on the grid for eventual electricity infrastructure provision and connection. She advised Ugandans to utilize the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995. She encouraged them to seek and obtain information from Government on any issue of importance in any sector of the economy and on Government policies so as to make informed decisions on where to contribute to the development of Uganda. Finally, she pointed out that “we are aware of our plight, but we must recognize that opportunities exist to turn Teso around”. She concluded by commending and thanking the organizers of the Convention for arranging this important occasion, and inviting her again to participate in it. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk Ug a n | 13 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d *PPPs allow governments to retain ownership while contracting the private sector to perform a specific function such as building, maintaining and operating infrastructure like roads and ports, or providing basic services like water and electricity. Both sides stand to benefit from the contractual agreement. Government earns revenue by leasing state-owned assets or alternatively pays the private sector for improved infrastructure and better service delivery. Often the private sector can do the job more efficiently, which can lower prices and improve rollout. The private operator gets reimbursed either by government or consumers for doing its work, at a profit
  • 14. Transcript of the presentation by Mr. Alenyo Marshall, Senior immigration officer his or her grandparents had diplomatic status in Uganda; and ii) neither of his or her parents and none of his or her grandparents was a refugee in Uganda; and b) who has lived continuously in Uganda since the ninth day of October, 1962. shall, on application, be entitled to be registered as a citizen of Uganda- 2. The truth about Uganda Dual Citizenship M r. Alenyo Marshall, Senior Immigration Officer, during his presentation at the 2nd Ugandan Convention UK, explained that under the current constitution (1995), they are 4 types of citizens of Uganda: Citizenship by birth. a) every person born in Uganda one of whose parents or grandparents is or was a member of any of the indigenous communities existing and residing within the borders of Uganda as at the first day of February, 1926, and set out in the Third Schedule to this Constitution; and b) every person born in or outside Uganda, one of whose parents or grandparents was at the time of birth of that person a citizen of Uganda by birth. Foundings and adopting children. a) A child of not more than five years of age found in Uganda, whose parents are not known, shall be presumed to be a citizen of Uganda by birth. b) A child under the age of eighteen years neither of whose parents is a citizen of Uganda, who is adopted by a citizen of Uganda shall, on application, be registered as a citizen of Uganda. Citizenship by registration 1. Every person born in Ugandaa) at the time of whose birthi) neither of his or her UCU United We Can UK Ug a n and none 3. Paragraph (a) of clause (2) of this article applies also to a person who was married to a citizen of Uganda who, but for his or her death, would have continued to be a citizen of Uganda under this Constitution. 4. Where a person has been registered as a citizen of Uganda under paragraph (a) of clause (2)of this article and the marriage by virtue of which that person was registered isa) annulled or otherwise declared void by a court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction; or b) dissolved, that person shall, unless he or she renounces that citizenship, continue to be a citizen of Uganda. Citizenship by naturalisation Parliarment shall by law provide for the acquisition and loss of citizenship by naturalisation. Mr. Alenyo explained that when Ugandans in the UK took UK citizenship, they ceased being Ugandan citizen. Holding a Ugandan and British passport does not make one a Ugandan unless he/she registers under article 15 activated by section 19 of the Uganda citizenship and immigration act. Mr Alenyo advised Ugandans in the Diaspora to lobby the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, who was amongst the VIP delegates at the Convention, to waive the dual citizenship fee which seems to deter everyone to register. Mr Alenyo said that those who registered for dual citizenship will have the privilege to pick their National Id cards from the High Commission. The national ID cards will be used to access services such as voting and to buy land as citizens, as well as to contest for elective offices. Mr Alenyo listed the offices a dual citizen cannot hold among others: a. President. b. Vice President. c. Prime Minister. d. Cabinet Minister and other e. f. g. h. i. | 14 Ministers. The Inspector General and the Deputy Inspector General of Government. Commanding Officers of Armed Forces Units of at least battalion strength. Officers responsible for heading departments responsible for records personnel and logistics in all branches of the Armed Forces. Inspector General of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police. Heads and Deputy Heads of National Security and Intelligence Organisations, (ESO), ISO and CMI). Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk of Co n v en on ti d parents an The following persons shall, upon application be registered as citizens of Ugandaa) every person married to a Uganda citizen upon proof of a legal and subsisting marriage of three years or such other period prescribed by Parliament: b) every person who has legally and voluntarily migrated to and has been living in Uganda for at least ten years or such other period prescribed by Parliament; c) every person who, on the commencement of this Constitution, has lived in Uganda for at least twenty years. Mr Alenyo explained the privileges of being a dual citizen: i. You have the right to vote ii. You have the right to own land under the mailo land ownership. (holding mailo land as a Bristish subject is illegal under section 40 of the Land Act) iii. Acquiring a national ID, which will be issued very soon Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 15. 3UGANDAN UK CONVENTION rd One day - One Event Ugandan UK Diaspora Trade and Investment EXPO 2013 Discover the tools, strategies, and tips to financial freedom with truly diversified investments. » » Real Estate Financial Services ◊ » » » » » » » Venue: TROXY ARENA 490 Commercial Road London E1 0HX United Kingdom Diaspora Bond ◊ Saturday, 14 Sept 2013 Banking & Access to Finance Agribusiness ◊ Agro-Processing Public-Private Partnerships Renewable Energy Transport & Communication ICT Tourism Manufacturing Register for your FREE conference ticket: www.3rdugandaukconvention.eventbrite.co.uk Uganda Diaspora Investment Expo 2013 will be the largest Ugandan event in Europe that is designed to promote Uganda as a favorit investment destination in Africa. The Expo will offer companies large and small the opportunity to access our lucrative and often overlooked market. The Convention will focus and contribute to the economic empowerment of the Ugandan community through the Expo. There are many benefits people will receive when they attend this Expo. Some of the essential benefits are discovering new business opportunities, networking, gaining priceless information, and improving personal business contacts, employment opportunities, finding potential business partners, as well as, leisure enjoyment. Speakers will include Ministers and senior officials, as well as Chairs and Chief Executives of businesses, investment funds and other industries. This Forum will showcase the best investment opportunities that Uganda and East African region have to offer. The Forum presents a platform for investors and project partners to explore and discuss investment opportunities with decision makers. The Forum will also offer networking opportunities and the space to discuss prospects in key sectors like Agriculture, Infrastructure, Banking and Financial services, Tourism, Manufacturing, Energy, Oil and Gas. Enquiries: Mob: +44779 647 089 | info@ugandanconventionuk.org Contact in Uganda: Mr. Bernard Magulu: +256 754 410 559 www.ugandanconventionuk.org
  • 16. Sector Panel Discussion: Investing in Financial Markets – (Diaspora Bond) Overview on the investing environment across Ugandan fi nancial markets. Considerations to include preferred sectors, regulatory pressures and typical risk and return of investment funds, mitigation of risks, incentives and Diaspora Bond. Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development was the keynote speaker on the session about financial markets. She said that Diasporans have been sending money home to their families, educate children, and look after parents, to build typically housing for them and their families. Now, she said, was the time to look at the financial markets as a way for the Diaspora to invest their money back home in markets like the Diaspora Bond and the stock market of Uganda and several other instruments. The government knows that the Diasporans can be a stable source of funds more than any other source of investors because their familiarity with Uganda gives them a better perception of any possible risk. Also, Diasporans are generally less concerned with exchange rate fluctuations because they will invest in Uganda for the long term. The moderator mentioned that in August 2012, it was reported that Bob Diamond, the former CEO of Barclays Capital was to introduce complex investment banking products like hedge funds, derivatives and swaps in Uganda. He invited Veronica Kalema, who does a lot of credit rating on the African continent to explain where Uganda’s financial markets stand at the moment and why should the Ugandans in the Diaspora be interested in investing in financial products in Uganda. Veronica Kalema explained that Uganda’s financial markets are still at the development stage but nevertheless pose a lot of investment opportunities. Uganda developed a domestic Bond market ten years ago, and increasingly, African countries are going in the Euro Bond market and issuing debt bonds which would have been unthinkable 5 years ago. She said that Zambia recently issued its debut Euro Bond which was oversubscribed by 15% , amounting to basically $12billion worth of investment and she was sure that was also the way Uganda and all the rest of the frontier markets were moving towards. Mr. Phillip Wabulya, Executive Director Operations Edwin was invited to talk about the Diaspora Bond. He explained first that in 1993, the government had liberalized the economy, when just $50,000 could move the entire market of Uganda and the exchange rate would be up. The trade has changed positively and the capital markets right now demand a Diaspora bond because a lot of Ugandans are looking for other investment avenues and products beside the usual real estate. Mr Wabulya further said that Uganda has an active secondary market whereby government securities are being traded. In addition, the Minister of Finance is committed to build skills and investment opportunities, and the Bank of Uganda via the UK Convention, aims to raise awareness and to look forward to the implementation of the Diaspora bond in the near future. Mr Wabulya explained how people in the Diaspora will be able to buy or sell the Diaspora bond after its introduction, and how they will be able to access it from outside Uganda. He cited that from July 2011, Uganda received about $252million Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d The moderator of the panel was Edwin Charles Senjobe Sentogo. The panel guests were Veronica Kalema from Ned Bank Capital Africa Credit, Derrick Smail of Homestrings, Kenneth Egesa from Bank of Uganda where he heads the statistics department and Philip Obuya, the Executive Director of Operations in the Bank of Uganda. | 16 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 17. of investment in the financial markets in the bonds and treasury bills. He assured investors and Ugandans that it is already happening, that the opportunities are there and other shrewd investors were taking advantage of them, rather than looking at only infrastructure, housing and the like. 10million Ug Shs, who are entitled to bid for a price which later determines the prices. The interest rates really depend on the players in the market at the time, and on the prices they are willing to take for the amounts that are offered in the market. A delegate asked the panel to define the Diaspora Bond in lay man’s terms. Mr. Wabulya clarified that the Diaspora bond is a bond, or a paper, that people, not living in the country, can invest in, and is normally used to raise funds for infrastructure development. For example, they can raise money for a particular road project, and the people allowed to invest are those not living in Uganda, which defines it as a Diaspora bond. This bond will normally have yearly tenures between 3- 15 years, as it normally is a long time investment. Mr Wabulya also said that Uganda Stock exchange (USE) realized that in Uganda, a lot of the financial markets are based in the commercial banks. Bank of Uganda, Uganda Securities Exchange and Capital Markets Authority are currently discussing and exploring the best way to make it work. He said “we have what we call a central depository system that we hope will give access to a lot of investors to invest electronically into the government of Uganda securities and equity market, which will be operative in the next few months.” Lastly, Mr Wabulya addressed the worries of fraud, non- compliance of regulations and how to mitigate any risk from mismanagement of funds, which were put forward by some delegates. He revealed that every investor he had visited recently said that the Bank of Uganda pursued a very strong monetary policy that has insulated commercial banks from the problems that could have happened. He explained that banks in Uganda are sufficiently capitalized and have enough liquidity to meet the obligations. He added that BOU has a very strong supervision team headed by Mrs Justine Bagyenda that does not tolerate any flexibility in terms of any breaches in the requirement. The moderator invited Derek Smail of Homestrings (www.homestrings.com) to make a contribution focusing on investment and getting good return on investment. To match up these expectations, Homestrings.com was set up as an investment vetted platform which helps investors looking for opportunities, and enables government and private agencies to promote their products like bonds, Diaspora bonds, equity funds, public private partnerships projects and government initiatives. Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development said that the African Development Bank issued a local currency note of Shs125billion on the Ugandan Stock Market in a bid to raise funds for different projects funded by the bank. She was pleased to share that Uganda is only the second country in Africa 9after South Africa) where Africa Development Bank has felt that there was enough credit rating. She said that if Uganda’s credit rating was good enough for ADP, it should be good enough for the Diaspora. The delegates applauded with happiness. Mr. Phillip Wabulya further commented on how the interest rates are determined in Uganda. He clarified two types of investors: those investing less that 10million Ug Shs ( $4000) who buy at the set price; and those who invest over Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, The minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development addressed this concern simply by referring to the Financial Times newspaper, rating Uganda as the best lowrisk investment country in East Africa, which should put to rest all doubts and questions on the risk factor. Phillip Wabulya added to the Minister’s point by saying that Uganda’s credit rating is done by the well-known credit rating agencies Fitch (www.fitchratings. com) and Standard and Poors (www. standardandpoors.com). He pointed out that the ratings Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia received from similar rating agencies quickly showed that there is an advantage of investing in Uganda, compared to those countries. Derek Smail from Homestrings finally said that Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique have Diaspora bonds, and that what Uganda currently has is a 91 day Treasury bill which is paying 12% on an annual basis. He added that after the Convention, he was going to invest in a 91 day Republic of Uganda treasury bill simply because he understood a little bit more about Uganda, and he thought that Uganda needs it, Uganda deserves it and is safer! The session was concluded by the Minister of Finance thanking the panelists and the delegates who patiently listened to the vast information shared with them. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk | 17 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d Concerning the minimum and maximum investment allowed for the Ugandans in the Diaspora, Mr Wabulya gave the following example: £100 a month totals £1200 a year; during the recent inflation where interest rates were as high as 25%, Ugandans who would have invested 1million UgShs shillings would have earned UgShs 250, 000. He stressed that no other investment right now can offer that amount of money anywhere in the world. Derrick started by saying that the Diaspora, who sent money home with a tune of more than $768m in 2010, wanted to invest in their own country’s manufacturing, export, etc and that the actual ability to do that was about 17% or 12%, and that much ended up being invested in subsistence only. One delegate wanted to know the mitigation measures taken against faithless bankers that may manipulate the rate only to reward the investor at a lower rate than the actual rate of profit. Ug a n Regarding threshold of investment, Mr Wabulya said that currently, foreign investors hold 15% of the government stock of government securities. A foreign investor can invest from as low as UgShs 100,000 without any maximum limit.
  • 18. Multi Sector Discussion: Health, Agro- and Horticulture An overview of investment opportunities in the Agriculture and Horticulture and and emerging opportunities for Health professionals The Moderator: Estella Makumbi Panellists: • Dr. Samuel Mugasi Chief executive officer of National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) • Dr. Atwine Diana Kanzira director of the medicines and health delivery monitoring unit • Mr. Deus Muhwezi assistant commissioner in charge of agribusiness • Dr. Sarah Nkonge Muwonge senior private secretary, director of land matters • Mr. Donald Banks GCSED founder and managing director. Ms Makumbi invited Dr. Mugasi to tell the delegates about the opportunities the NAADS programme has for Ugandans in the Diaspora. He went on to say that NAADS is an agency under the ministry of agriculture in Uganda that is mandated with the provision of agricultural extension and advisory services. The agency helps farmers access improved technologies and benefit from existing value chains. If delegates were to invest in agriculture in Uganda, they would benefit from the services of NAADS. Beyond the services, the agency has a commercialisation fund; funds offered to potential investors on a competitive basis if they invest in particular areas such as value addition. NAADS has some limited funds put aside for private public partnerships mainly in the area of value addition this could be in food, grain or dairy processing for example. He informed delegates that if they came to Uganda the agency will be able to provide information on how to benefit from its services and how it can support investors in their agricultural investments. NAADS can also provide information on potential enterprises. The agency has carried out studies and can provide advice on which enterprises to invest in since the agency has statistics and profitability analyses done in this area. Ms. Makumbi thanked Dr. Mugasi for his quick presentation and highlighted the fact that the information on public private partnerships was well received by the delegates. She then invited Mr. Deus Muhwezi to tell the delegates the opportunities available to the Diaspora in the agribusiness sector. In addition to what the Hon. Minister said, Mr. Muhwezi said that there are huge investment opportunities in agribusiness services such as banking and insurance, warehousing, and food and confectionary industry not only in Uganda but the entire region. Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d Dr. Mugasi thanked the moderator for the introduction and started his presentation by asking the delegates how many of them would like to invest in agriculture after listening to the minister’s speech. Mr. Muhwezi acknowledged that the minister for agriculture had already adequately outlined most of the investment opportunities available in the agricultural sector. So he added that the government on case by case basis has a policy of public private partnerships in which the government will support a given project. The government also has another policy called build, own, operate and transfer; also done on a case by case basis. Under this policy the government can assist and partner with investors to promote a given project especially in agro-processing. Other incentives available to investors include no export taxes, tax exemptions if the investment is in value addition in agro-processing or products locally produced in Uganda(both income and value added tax). Tax free importation of machinery and equipment for agricultural investments (value added, agro processing) 30 kilometres outside Kampala. | 18 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan
  • 19. Ms. Makumbi thanked Mr. Muhwezi for his remarks and noted that value addition was emphasised so she urged delegates to add value to their produce if they are to agriculture. She then invited Dr. Sarah Nkonge Muwonge to speak. She highlighted the fact that one of the challenges faced in investing in agribusiness is security of land tenure. Ms. Makumbi then asked her to tell the delegates how Ugandans in the Diaspora can get around that as they try to invest in Uganda. for most of the different types of land; mailo /freehold land, leasehold / public land, communal/customary and bibanjas. Bibanja owners complain against landlords who they think are not putting them into consideration when they sell their land. Land lords also complain against bibanja owners or squatters who sell land without their permission. Other problems include unlawful occupation or acquisition of land through forged letters of administration& wills, multiple sales and fraudulent transfer of agreements sales. These problems may affect investors but the government has put in place offices that can work to overcome some of these challenges and turn them into opportunities. Dr. Nkonge Muwonge noted that some of the land in question is public land and about 5.1% of which is unutilised leaving a balance of 3 million capacity land. The best way to overcome these problems is to get in touch with the relevant offices such as the Uganda land commission, the Uganda investment authority and offices mandated by the government such as the Land Fraud Unit, Directorate of Land Matters and others. At this point Ms. Makumbi the moderator, interjected and asked Dr. Nkonge Muwonge for clarification on what investors can do or should do when faced with the problems she mentioned, having provided the relevant offices. Dr. Nkonge Muwonge then advised delegates to go to the offices she mentioned earlier if faced with any land problems. These are some of the problems investors from the Diaspora might have to face. But it has been found that there are complaints Dr. Atwine introduced herself and informed the delegates that her job is to monitors health services in Uganda. She stressed that despite the things that are heard and seen in the news, there are good things happening in the health sector in Uganda. There are currently attempts to put right the problems in the health sector • She told delegates that currently there is medicine in all health facilities and that they are welcome to visit any health centre in the country to prove that the medicine is indeed there. • There are several opportunities available under manufacturing, because 95% of the medicines used in the Uganda are imported. So there are investment opportunities in the area of pharmaceuticals & manufacturing for those interested. • In terms of Infrastructural development, the government is in the process of revamping/ repair and equip most of the hospitals but there is still need for skilled labour to operate this equipment and give the expertise needed. These services can be given by the private sector with entrepreneurs putting up private hospitals. Within the next two years it is expected that ultramodern hospitals capable of carrying out cardiothoracic surgery and other highly specialised procedures. In order to do that, she encouraged individuals to come and partner with the government to provide these skills. • Under human resources, individuals are needed not only to work in the health facilities but to train Ugandans and pass on the skills that they have. She acknowledged that there have been issues about incentives and remuneration for health workers but this is a process that the government is working on. • In the last 5 years, the government has expanded health facilities; at the moment there are health facilities at every parish all of which require money and equipment. The next phase is the government focusing on human resource development, acquiring highly skilled labour to operate in the highly specialised hospitals / health facilities that are going to be set up. The government is encouraging public private partnerships in this area. • The government is planning on rolling out health insurance once the policies required are in place therefore skilled labour in the field of health insurance are needed to provide expertise. This is an area where labour is needed. She assured delegates that jobs would be available in this area. | 19 Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan an on ti d Dr. Nkonge Muwonge thanked Ms. Makumbi for her introduction and went on to say that the land tenure is what discourages most investors in the Diaspora. She noted that most delegates present are absentee landlords who would like to invest or utilise their land upon returning home. Her office has observed several disputes regarding land as a result of ignorance of the laws governing the land, environment, inheritance and family; misuse of power and social status(politically and financially); decentralisation and creation of new districts headquarters which has turned land hitherto ignored as rural into prime urban land; corruption by public servants and forgeries by land grabbers. The moderator thanked Dr. Nkonge Muwonge for her contributions and asked Dr. Atwine to tell the delegates about the opportunities available in the health sector. so that investors can come to the country with a sense of confidence in the system. Ug a n He said Uganda already has a laborious farming community so setting up a nucleus farm or processing plant means the investor has access to a hinterland of out growers making it easier to grow into production, processing and marketing. For further information he encouraged delegates to speak to him and his colleagues after the panel and assured them that contact details would be left behind to facilitate further discussions and give further information on the incentives and opportunities available to investors in the agricultural sector. He concluded by thanking the delegates for listening to him.
  • 20. • • There is need for investment in the field of research and development for example vaccine development. She stressed that Uganda is free from Ebola contrary to reports in the international press. Health workers have been able to control the disease but there is need for research on such viruses and other diseases. The scientists in the Diaspora were invited to come home and carry out this research and told that there is government support available for that. In regard to e-health, government has invested in and is rolling out an e- health policy to enable doctors in Uganda contact specialists in other parts of the world. Skilled labour is required to implement these plans. Donald Banks from GCSED, whose background is in International development, spoke about investment opportunities in Uganda. He asserted that commercial agriculture will be Uganda’s saviour pointing out the fact there are 5.1 million hectares of agricultural land of which 2.1 million are being utilised. Of that number only 5% of it is irrigated and can be used for food production. He said that malnutrition can be reduced by increasing food production through irrigating the land an increasing the amount of land available for irrigation. 85% of Uganda’s labour work in agriculture mainly subsistence. He stressed that to improve agricultural productivity skills development is the answer. Commercial agriculture needs to work with skills development to make the situation better. His organisation has spent the last 5 months negotiating the purchase of 250,000 hectares of agricultural land matched up with a skills development programme for young men aimed at ensuring that some of the allocation of land goes to domestic production to reduce malnutrition. There is so much opportunity of commercialising agriculture however there are problems such as land. Enterprise management programmes are needed to encourage farmers to improve the quality of their produce. Introduce co-operatives, Questions: The moderator then opened the panel discussion to the house and the first delegate asked how the government could help a prospective investor in the poultry business? He was baffled at how a country like Uganda could be importing poultry from Brazil and South Africa. The second delegate simply suggested that the government establish a website where the latest information on developments in the health sector are provided since there was a lot that Dr. Atwine wanted to say in an insufficient amount of time. The last question was from Prof. Fred Wabamba, a higher education professional, who highlighted the fact that most of the panellists mentioned the need for skills in Uganda. However he added that having decided to return home, the people within the country were not welcoming to members of the Diaspora returning to Uganda. The process of transferring his belongings to Uganda took 9 months many of which were of no use to him by the time they arrived. He suggested that if the government really requires the skills and knowledge that members of the Diaspora have, then the country should be more welcoming to those members of the Diaspora returning home. The moderator thanked the delegates for the questions and invited the panellists to answer the questions. In response to the first question, one of the panellists said that there is a huge investment opportunity in the country and region for poultry and poultry products such as breeding one day old chicks most of which are currently being imported. There is government support depending on the level of the investment, such as free land and tax free importation of equipment in the production and processing of poultry. These incentives are also available for the area of breeding. Poultry is one of the enterprises mentioned by the Hon. Minister earlier, identified as one of the key areas both in the local and regional markets. Animal feeds an enterprise needed by the poultry subsector is also one of the areas that qualify for government support depending on the scale of the project. In regard to the third question, the speaker of parliament appreciated the issues raised by the delegate and promised to create a small desk in the foreign affairs committee to deal with the Diaspora specifically in parliament. She also pledged to inform the government that it has not done the necessary to enable those in the Diaspora to “land softly” when they return home. The moderator thanked the speaker of parliament for answering the question very well and invited the Hon. Minister of agriculture to give a few remarks on land security and close the panel. The minister thanked the moderator and made two main points by way of conclusion. He assured prospective investors coming to Uganda of land security for their investments in ranching or commercial agriculture, in terms of proper processing of land. He stated that he did not expect the delegates to return and join the peasantry, he expects large scale production. He welcomed investors to come and invest in agriculture at various levels depending on their preferences; at primary production, early value addition, manufacturing, technology that promote agriculture ,seed production, animal vaccines, fertiliser. But high levels of intervention are expected of prospective investors given their experience, training and opportunity. He concluded by thanking the delegates for listening. The moderator thanked the Hon. Minister and the distinguished panel for the information and advice given, she also thanked the audience for being very participative and involved in the discussions that took place. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ ugandansinuk Co n v en UCU United We Can UK Ug a n an on ti d The moderator hoped that the first question was adequately answered and went on to the second question; Dr. Atwine offered to be the link between the delegates and the health sector. She gave her contact details as well as a 24 hour toll free telephone number to those who had any issues or question on the health sector in Uganda but added that she was not representing the ministry of health and was acting in her capacity as a monitor. There is a dashboard and call centre that deal with all complaints concerning service delivery. Her office could be a link to the ministry of health and other health offices. | 20 Summary report | Comments and Evaluation | Action Plan