Leaders from Uganda’s industrial sector are calling on the government to undertake urgent structural reforms, saying that persistent policy, infrastructure and financial bottlenecks are limiting the country’s manufacturing potential.
Speaking at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) International Trade Fair in Lugogo, executives described industries that are ready and willing to grow, invest and innovate but are being held back by high borrowing costs, weak trade facilitation and poor logistics.
Among the key concerns: commercial lending rates well over 18%, which restrict investment and expansion; regional trade barriers that affect nearly a third of manufactured exports; heavy import reliance for raw materials such as steel, plastics, cereals and petroleum products; and high logistics costs due to poor roads and inefficient port‐related processes.
UMA leaders also called for stronger use of domestic long‐term funds (for example from social security savings) to reduce financing costs for industry, improved infrastructure in key industrial hubs and export points, and better policy predictability through annual review of industrial strategies.
While the government reaffirmed its commitment to industrialisation as a key pillar of economic transformation, manufacturers say delivery on supportive policy, fair trade rules and affordable finance must match rhetoric if Uganda is to achieve sustainable manufacturing growth and job creation.