Kampala, December 14, 2022 – The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and development partners, working with the World Bank, have commenced consultation processes to support Ugandan manufacturing businesses’ access to foreign high-value markets.
The Export Firm Support (EFS) programme is implemented by PSFU with funding from development partners including the Governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The objective of the EFS programme is to boost Ugandan firms’ export of value-added manufactured products to regional and high-income markets.
The programme will support potential and existing exporters to enter new export markets or expand their presence.
According to a statement from PSFU, support will focus on upgrading firms’ organizational and production capacities and their capabilities to deliver to the demand of foreign buyers.
Funding for the EFS programme falls under Window III of the World Bank-administered Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which mobilizes donor contributions and invests in strategic areas to promote the effective implementation of Uganda’s National Development Plans.
Activities under MDTF’s Window III focus on promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth and job creation.
Uganda requires higher numbers of new jobs to match the pace of labour force growth. More than half a million Ugandans enter the job market every year.
The EFS programme, to be run over four years, complements the larger World Bank-funded Investment for Industrial Transformation and Employment Programme (INVITE), which is still awaiting Government approval.
The EFS will help exporters and potential exporters with the assistance of local and international consultants to identify export opportunities and meet consumer demand through specialized technical assistance and capacity-building activities.
The ESF will focus on formal private business entities that are legally established and headquartered in Uganda and with established business interests in the targeted manufacturing and semi-manufacturing sectors.
An online platform has been developed to allow easy submission of applications following a call for applications from eligible firms.
Only applications submitted online will be accepted and processed. Four (4) calls for applications are anticipated in four years.
Following the online assessment, which will entail a diagnostic of the firm, the business consultants will develop an export development plan, financed by both the eligible firm and the EFS programme.
Firms may receive support from consultants that are established in the target markets and have knowledge and access to specific clients.