Importers will need to re-think their business plans post Covid-19.
Uganda mostly imports oil (24 percent of total imports) followed by pharmaceutical products and capital goods. Uganda’s main import partners are: Kenya, UAE, China and India.
In 2018, Uganda spent USD1.18Billion in China, 816.95 M on imports from India, 784.06M on imports from United Arab Emirates, 605.31M on imports from Saudi Arabia, 515.85M on imports from Kenya, 316.90M on Imports from Japan and 311.88M on imports from South Africa among other countries. Covid-19 has affected travel and consequently importers.
President Museveni hailed Uganda while addressing the nation on Labour Day at State House in Entebbe: “A lot of people have now seen that Uganda is a safe place. I have never been to a place in this world that is better than Uganda. Those who like to travel, what exactly are you looking for?”
The President argued: “If you look at the imports of Uganda, we are still importing animal feeds. Why should we? We have a lot of maize here and yet we are importing animal feeds. That should stop. There will be no more importation of animal feeds.”
He said: “Let us stop importing clothes and support those making them here in Uganda and Africa. The figures for textile imports are very high. That is a lot of money we are giving away.”
Museveni pointed out: “We are going to rely on ourselves to make the weapons we need for defence. Our ancestors were not importing spears and arrows. They made them here. So, why can’t we make our weapons here.”
The head of state bragged: “When the dam was attacked by an island, it was the engineers who were there. Maybe the other group which was there were the rumour-mongers…the pressmen.”
Award winning journalist and writer who has worked as a stringer for a couple of acclaimed South Africa based German journalists, covered 3 Ugandan elections, 2008 Kenya election crisis, with interests in business and sports reporting.
