President Yoweri Museveni has said the future of Uganda lies in industrialization, which he stresses is the “surest path to wealth creation, modernization, and mass employment”.
Speaking at the commissioning of four new factories and laying the foundation of nine new factories in Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park in eastern Uganda, the President said Uganda’s path to sustainable development is hinged on the following sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, science, technology, and innovation.
The President said Uganda’s manufacturing sector is growing by leaps and bounds: “Today, manufacturing employs 1.2 million Ugandans, more than the 480,000 in public service”.
President Museveni said industrial parks are transforming Uganda from towns of shops into towns of industries, producing goods once imported from abroad.
He said: “Now you see the difference. So many of the things we used to import from outside are now made here, like telephones, paper, and steel”.
President Museveni said industries not only create jobs but also strengthen the economy by consuming electricity and supporting agriculture.
“This industrial park employs 11,000 people and consumes up to 50 megawatts of power, soon 100. These industries need food, so the local people in the hills should grow food to supply this big workforce. That is how we link agriculture to industry”, he said.
The President thanked the Chinese investors, who run the industrial park, for their pivotal role in Uganda’s industrial transformation.
President Museveni agreed to offer an additional 600 acres of land to expand the 600-acre industrial park as requested by the developers, led by Paul Zhang, who hailed him for supporting their setup.
Commissioned factories:
- Unisteel
- Nice Textiles
- Xinlon Textiles
- Timber Paper Industry
New factories under construction:
- Elgon Steel
- Myno Technology
- Shengtang Machinery
- Yangtze Industry
- Futian Hardware
- Planetic Industries
- Hai Lan Industries
- Aofan Garments
- Hercules Automobile
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