Small-scale
industry leaders want the government to support programs for
the sector. The leaders say the sector is the foundation of the country’s
industrialization agenda but has been abandoned.
The call
was made during the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) 45-year
celebrations. “When you look at the national development plan, we are to raise
1.2 million cottage industries, but how do we get there when we are dependent
on member subscriptions? Which members are struggling to keep their businesses
afloat,” enquired Peter Kasirye, the USSIA national treasurer.
Kasirye says
that with such an ambitious target, it is an opportune time for the nation to
focus on enhancing small-scale industries since they are the cornerstone of the
country’s tax base, as well as a core in household incomes. He adds that the
sector is the incubation point for industrialization in the economy.
//Cue in;
“Time for us…
Cue out; …
Uganda small scale.”//
According to
the treasurer, the association seeks support for its training programs, where
it imparts practical industrialization skills among youths, especially those in
lower education levels, and the unprivileged and vulnerable, mainly street
children and former addicts. “We are picking on youths to provide these
particular skills, but what makes us special is we transform the attitude more
than what school does. My challenge to you is to help us increase our SACCO
portfolio,” he said.
Eunice
Wekesa, the USSIA national chairperson, says, “As an organization, we are proud
to be taking on those youths who are not even in the government unemployment
statistics. For those who have never even gone to school, we take them up and make
them productive, and this calls for the government to understand, recognize,
support, and stand with us in this effort because this is the way to go," Wekesa said.
According to
Wekesa, the association has grown from 19 members 45 years ago to over 12,000.
She also emphasized that the small-scale sector is not permanent but rather
transitional, and it’s where most of the current big manufacturers in the
country started, citing an example of the late James Mulwana as one of the
association's founding members.
She further
notes that the sector's innovations are hampered by financing constraints. “We
are innovators, and we have very many innovations, but we are limited by
finances. You realize that our offices are distributed across the country, and
we can’t walk on foot to reach all of them. We need transport. The few vehicles
we have are tired and always in the garage. We need good transport to reach the
unreachable.”
The
Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi,
represented by Diana Nannono, the head of the private sector development unit
at the Ministry of Finance, said that the government is looking at a
tenfold development of the country’s economy to USD 500 billion by 2040,
prioritizing science, technology, and innovation as one of the cornerstones for
this ambitious target.
He noted that to effect this goal, the government has initiated a number of
innovations, including policies, fund pools, as well as trade agreements at
regional and global levels. Ggobi further mentioned the various wealth creation
funds, which he believes small-scale sector players need to leverage to solve
some of their financial challenges.
Dennis Kasule Ssebunya
Freelancer