- Uganda Manufacturer’s Association (UMA) annual Trade Fair that starts on October 2 and ending October 10.
Image: Moses kidandi-Capital FM
In bid to Build a culture of industrialization several companys have come up to drum support for this years 30 years uganda International Trade Fair.
Uganda Manufacturer’s Association (UMA) has unveiled local companies that have come in to support the annual Trade Fair that starts on October 2 and ending October 10.
The Trade Fair is part of a process that UMA started in 1988, to construct a culture of industrialization that not only provides Ugandan households with basic consumer goods, but also contributes to the national GDP and jobs.
The Platinum sponsors that have been unveiled are Total Energies and Roofings Group, while the silver sponsors are Stanbic Bank and Smartec (the sellers of Hisense electricals). Tembo Steels, MMI Integrated Steels, Pro Bio, K-Roma and Good Briquette Initiative Limited are the Bronze sponsors.
Together these sponsors are supporting UMA to hold the 30th Uganda International Trade Fair (UGITF). Started in 1992, as a way for Uganda’s nascent manufacturing to supply the public with scarce commodities and household items, the Trade Fair, evolved two years later, to become International by 1994.
At UGITF manufacturers will be able meet the traders that would want to be agents of some of these products and distributors. This culture of contributing to improving the welfare of Ugandans has so far resulted in close to two million direct jobs from the manufacturing sector. Director Senkumba explains that in addition to the jobs, milestones since the first trade fair include increased growth of manufacturing output from $16.6 million in 1992 to $7.4 billion now
Uganda had just come out of over a decade of instability that had destroyed the country’s manufacturing capacity, so the decision to go international also supported local manufacturers and traders in the creation of partnerships that would years later reduce dependence on imported commodities.
Eddie Senkumba the UMA Chairman for Communication and Events, who is a director at one of the early members of UMA observes that at the start of these trade fairs, Uganda relied heavily on imports, with a wide range of products such as, soft drinks, alcohol, clothing, cooking oils, as well as plastics, all being brought in from abroad.
Dr Ezra Muhumuza Rubanda notes that since the 1990s, manufacturers have covered the scarcity gap; significantly. “There is no scarcity of products in this country, actually, products find people in their household but again we need continue holding Trade Fairs, because they are a source of feedback,” he says. He notes that as UMA continues on its trajectory to build a culture of industrialization, talking and collecting feedback from consumers has become an important aspect of UGITF.
Director Senkumba buttresses this point noting that through events like Uganda International Trade Fair, UMA members display their merchandise in a fun and easy to access environment, where customers are able to learn about production processes and the authenticity of the exhibited products.
Image: Moses kidandi--Capital FM
The manufacturing sector also contributes 23 % of the tax revenue in Uganda and directly employs close to 2 million people. As a way to build on this success, this year’s UGITF will include new innovations in the Women, Agriculture, and Education pavilions, addressing some of Uganda's most pressing challenges.
This will cover those trained in the formal sector looking for jobs and experienced informal sector workers such as those in Katwe. In the past members of UMA have struggled with formally educated interns unable to do work with machines in their factories. The jobs desk will help alleviate this challenge. It will also provide career guidance and training for job seekers, making them suitable for employment by our members.
The Agricultural Pavilion will serve as a hub for knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaboration, paving the way for a more prosperous and resilient agricultural sector in Uganda.
A wide range of new products which include locally made, smart phones, smart watches, smart Televisions, Electrical meters, Electric motors bikes, Rechargeable batteries, new irrigation systems, new water treatment technology, Improved flour machinery and so much more.
To make sure that women are participating fully, this UGITF will have children’s play area, where children can play is a safe space even as their parents take part. This part of UMA’s contribution towards increasing the number of women in the entrepreneurial space.