Kampala, Uganda — The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) has engaged journalists, editors and broadcasters in a bid to strengthen collaboration with the media and enhance public awareness of developments in Uganda’s trade, industry and cooperatives sectors.
The engagement, held at the Ministry Headquarters at Farmers’ House in Kampala, was chaired by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, accompanied by the State Minister for Industry, Hon. David Bahati, and the State Minister for Cooperatives, Hon. Alero Tom Aza.
The Ministers used the engagement to update the media on the Ministry’s strategic priorities, including implementation of the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, which seeks to transform Uganda’s economy and grow it to an estimated US$500 billion by 2040.
Reducing Uganda’s Import Bill
A key message from the engagement was the Ministry’s focus on reducing Uganda’s import bill by strengthening domestic production, promoting value addition and supporting Ugandan enterprises to become more competitive.
Minister Sanjay Tanna highlighted several areas of focus, including promoting value addition, digitising Ministry processes, improving the business environment, engaging both existing and new players, and facilitating small businesses to grow.
These priorities are closely aligned with the objectives of Buy Uganda Build Uganda(BUBU) — the national local-content initiative aimed at encouraging consumers, businesses and institutions to buy goods and services produced in Uganda.
BUBU as a Platform for Local Enterprise Growth
For BUBU to make a meaningful contribution to Uganda’s long-term economic transformation, the initiative must go beyond simply encouraging Ugandans to buy local products.
It must also help Ugandan businesses become visible, accessible and competitive.
Thousands of manufacturers, farmers, processors, service providers and SMEs across Uganda produce goods and services that can substitute imports, supply supermarkets, serve institutional buyers and participate in regional and international markets.
The challenge is often not simply production. It is market access, visibility, information, standards, packaging, distribution and connections between producers and buyers.
This is where a stronger BUBU ecosystem can play an important role.
A digital BUBU marketplace and business directory can provide Ugandan enterprises with an opportunity to showcase what they produce, where they are located and how potential buyers can contact them.
From “Buy Ugandan” to “Build Ugandan”
Uganda’s economic transformation will ultimately depend on the country’s ability to produce more of what it consumes, add value to its raw materials and create competitive businesses capable of supplying both domestic and export markets.
The BUBU message therefore goes beyond consumption.
Buy Uganda. Build Uganda.
When Ugandans purchase locally manufactured products, they support local production. When businesses source locally, they create markets for Ugandan suppliers. When manufacturers add value to Ugandan agricultural products, they create jobs and retain more value within the economy.
And when local enterprises become stronger, they can increasingly compete beyond Uganda.
The Role of the Media
The MTIC engagement also highlighted the important role of the media in communicating Uganda’s economic transformation agenda.
Journalists, editors and broadcasters can help bring visibility to Ugandan manufacturers, farmers, processors, innovators and entrepreneurs whose products and services contribute to the country’s productive economy.
For BUBU in particular, effective media engagement can help answer a simple but important question:
What is Uganda producing, and where can Ugandans buy it?
Making this information readily available can help turn the BUBU campaign from a national slogan into a practical marketplace connecting Ugandan producers with Ugandan consumers and institutional buyers.
As Uganda pursues the ambitious Ten-Fold Growth Strategy towards 2040, strengthening local production, value addition, enterprise development and market access will remain central to the country’s economic transformation.
BUBU has an important role to play in that journey — by making Ugandan businesses more visible, connecting them to markets and helping build a stronger culture of producing, buying and building in Uganda.
