The East Africa Trade Investment Hub in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched an online survey aimed at improving Uganda’s trade and investment environment.
The purpose of the survey is to identify investment opportunities and challenges in the Ugandan market as well as quantifying the potential and real investment/trade losses to both Uganda and the United States, says a brief statement.
The survey is also aimed at improving Uganda’s investment environment as a means of promoting increased two way trade and investment between U.S. and Uganda.
“Your experiences and insights are extremely important to help us reach our ultimate goal – to create a more attractive and sustainable investor environment in Uganda,” says the statement to the targeted respondents-investors.
The survey is meant to make respondents point their views on issues that they consider to be important in enabling a conducive business environment in Uganda. Some of the issues are; low tax rates, access to credit, supportive policy and regulatory environment, political stability and reliable security.
Other issues to be commended on are; skilled workforce, low labor costs, good infrastructure, and reliable power supply.
The survey targets investors with capital ranging from US $9 million to over US $100,000. It targets those who have already invested in Uganda, considering to invest in Uganda and those who have failed to do business in Uganda or left Uganda.
The survey is further meant to establish which of the following factors influenced their decision to invest or consider investing in Uganda. They include; enabling environment on policies towards foreign direct investment, incentives for industrial investments, ease of doing business, political stability, ideal climate and fertile soils for agricultural sector investment.
Others presented for choosing are; Affordable and skilled work force, discovered oil and gas, independence in judicial and legal systems, low tax rates, reliable security, ease of starting business, bilateral investment protection treaties, free trade agreement and economic partnership agreement, transparency of the regulatory system, reliable power supply, intellectual property rights laws and good Infrastructure.
The survey also wants to know whether the targeted investors are; considering expanding their investment portfolio, intending to maintain current investment portfolio or considering leaving the market, based on prevailing conditions.