On our Saturday journey to Bombo-Kalule for the commissioning of Kaguta Block at Excel Vocational Training Centre on Saturday, August 10, we saw many industries along the Bombo-Luwero Road, some of whom left us very inquisitive, over 100 of them.
We came to appreciate President Yoweri Kaguta Museven’s tireless efforts every day to transform Uganda from a pre-capitalistic state to a modern and prosperous country.
Unfortunately, some of us tend to think that it is simply a walkover to bring such people on board. It means having an open-door policy to receive a delegation of investors 24/7. It also means putting enabling policies and laws in place to create an enabling environment.
According to Uganda’s tax expenditure report FY 2022/23, the government spends through the tax system in the form of tax exemptions, rate reliefs, allowances, deferrals &credits. The tax foregone is a sacrifice by the President to make sure that these investors secure jobs for Generation Z.
Other countries like China go ahead to give subsidies from their resource envelope which sometimes renders industries from developing countries uncompetitive.
How can Ugandans appreciate President Yoweri Kaguta Museven’s tedious journey of industrialising the economy?
1. As the majority of young people who are the biggest stakeholders in this country, we should support his cause by buying these things made in Uganda and shun substitute imports. With over 90 plastic and domestic aluminium products like source pans and all sorts of kitchenware!
It is bad as a youth to demand from the government on social media how you want to be governed when you can’t be cautious about things that are supposed to make good governance successful.
Good governance can be better achieved when the government can collect enough revenue from investors to fund UPE, roads to mention but a few.
But we can’t realise enough revenue from those industries and other investments if Ugandans consume imported items. It is a reason we should support the President’s new policy of taxing heavily some items that are a menace to our future.
Buy Uganda Build Uganda should not be shelved by Hon.Bahati David technocrats at BUBU secretariat in the Ministry of Trade but instead, they should come out and support the President’s purpose and vision to position this country through industries to improve the welfare of Ugandans.
Someone would love to shoot down these efforts and achievements of our industrial growth because of the endemic corruption monster that is making Ugandans get fed up. However, we should do the right things first and buy Ugandan-made goods first! And then we shall have a locus to talk about unemployment.
From only 80 industries in 1986 to over 5000 employing about 1,300,000 is something to celebrate. In conclusion, we can only be part of our industrial journey by buying Ugandan goods.
Long live General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Long live Hajjat Uzeiye Namyalo SPA and manager ONC
The writer is Head of the Research at Office of the National Chairman – Kyambogo
Related
