The Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Uganda Supermarket Owners Association to bolster and promote the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) initiative, and further strengthen the local production ecosystem.
The signing ceremony was held at UMA offices in Lugogo, Kampala at an event presided over by the State Minister for Industry, David Bahati.
The dialogue session was in line with the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) policy – a government initiative aimed at promoting the consumption and procurement of locally produced goods and services.
The MoU and dialogue aimed at bridging the gap between manufacturers and distributors, encouraging market uptake of local products.
Speaking at the event, Bahati appealed to the manufacturers and Supermarket owners to uphold the quality and standards of the products they manufacture and sell respectively.
“It would be wrong to manufacture substandard products, but also sell them to the public, We want you to help us to sell the right products. It’s very dangerous to find that a supermarket is selling products which are not certified by UNBS,” Bahati said.
He told both supermarket owners and manufacturers that Uganda and East Africa at large have a lot of business opportunities that can be tapped in.
“All of us who are engaged in business should be thinking about areas of agro-processing in minerals and all the things that we’ve been talking about. Open your minds and take advantage of this vast East African Market.
Bahati also asked the stakeholders to make use of government incentives to bolster their businesses, but also support BUBU.
Since its launch in 2017, the BUBU initiative has stimulated local and foreign investments in local production, enhancing the capacity of local producers, improving product quality, and increasing competitiveness in local and international markets. It has also played a pivotal role in job creation, driving Uganda towards achieving middle-income status.
Meanwhile, Deo Kayemba the UMA Chairperson, urged all Ugandans, supermarket owners, and online selling platforms to embrace and prioritize local products for consumption to enhance Uganda’s national economy.
He noted that as a collective of industrialists, they have invested heavily in improving the production processes to offer Ugandans a diverse range of locally-made products, adding “Therefore, it is imperative for our fellow citizens to support these goods, which in turn, will increase production capacity.”
“In fact, the BUBU initiative has led to an estimated creation of 30,000 new jobs since its inception in 2017, further underscoring its importance to Uganda’s socio-economic growth.”
Commenting on the dialogue and MoU, he said this will help boost the local market’s confidence in the quality and variety of locally produced goods, thus promoting economic growth and job creation in line with Uganda’s Vision 2040.
On his part, the USOA chairperson, Dr Dan Tindwensi, welcome the dialogue and MoU saying it was long overdue.
MoU
According to UMA, they desire to form a strategic partnership to facilitate capacity building for manufacturers that produce goods that can be sold in supermarkets (Consumables);
c) UMA desires to mobilize manufacturers with products that can be supplied to supermarkets; and
d) UMA desires to have trained personnel dedicated to monitoring the supermarkets and identifying their needs that can be met by the manufacturers.
AND
a) USOA brings together all major supermarkets spread across the whole country and has a membership of over fifty-five (55) supermarkets with several branches.
b) USOA aspires to set good quality standards, promote a good and positive image of Supermarkets in Uganda and generally protect the consumers and the overall business interests of Supermarket owners in Uganda through the following objectives, among others