Investment Minister Evelyn Anite receives certificate title for 1,200 acres of land from Yumbe District.
Six districts in northern Uganda have offered a total of 3,380 acres of land freely to Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) for establishment of industrial parks.
The districts are Nebbi (511 acres), Madi-Okollo (515), Yumbe (1,200), Oyam (154, Lira (500) and Dokolo (500). The total acreage in northern Uganda is 3,380.
The 3,380 acres of land add onto the 1,270 acres of land offered earlier during the Western leg of the mission, bringing a total of 4,850 acres of land.
UIA, as the chief investment promotion agency of the Government of Uganda, has been directed by the President to establish 25 industrial parks, regionally and equitably distributed throughout Uganda, in the next five years (current presidential term).
The industrial parks are supposed to have a minimum of 500 acres of land.
The President also directed local governments to provide free land for industrial parks development, saying Government, through UIA, will no longer buy land for industrial parks.
To implement the Presidential directive, UIA has planned to establish five industrial parks each year, totaling 25 in 2025.
To effect that, UIA has embarked on a nationwide land mobilisation, to feed into the Investment Land Bank.
Land in the land bank will be used to establish the 25 industrial parks, as well as support private industrial parks development. In establishing the parks.
Investment Minister, Hon. Evelyn Anite, says UIA will ensure building of key infrastructure like access roads, industrial power and water, ICT systems, drainage systems, waste management systems, etc.
Minister Anite encourages investors, both domestic and foreign, to invest in the regional industrial parks.
UIA Director General, Robert Mukiza, says the people should start preparing to snap up opportunities in the industrial parks.
UIA and National Enterprises Corporation (NEC), acting on a Cabinet position, have agreed that the UPDF Engineering Brigade builds the industrial parks. This will reduce cost by about 70 percent, ensuring value for money, quality and timely completion of the parks.
UIA will allocate at least 20 acres in each industrial park for SMEs to ensure local-local content.
Through the industrial parks there would be increased production of hitherto imported goods hence import substitution and preservation of foreign exchange, boost in exports, creation of jobs and wealth.
There would also be increase in government revenues, boost in aggregate demand which translates into more money in circulation, heightened economic activity, economic growth, economic development and transformation of Uganda.
Going forward, transfer of technology, knowledge and skills would translate into local innovation, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and new domestic investors as those employed in industries take off on their own.
Ultimately, there would be balanced socioeconomic transformation of Uganda, and scaling up to middle income status, higher income status, etc.
UIA’s next land mobilization missions will be in eastern Uganda and central Uganda respectively.
***