Stanbic Bank
Stanbic Bank
18.7 C
Kampala
Stanbic Bank
Stanbic Bank
Home Blog Page 1185

Museveni commends faith-based organisation for efforts to eradicate household poverty in Uganda

By
Our Reporter
-
President Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni has commended faith-based groups in the country for joining government in efforts and campaign to sensitise communities in wealth creation to eradicate household poverty in Uganda.

“I am glad that more Christians are waking up to understand how to eradicate poverty at household level. What you gain should be from your sweat. It is a Biblical obligation. I am happy I have Pastors, like Jackson Senyonga, on my disciples in the nationwide campaign for wealth creation. Like the Biblical story of the seeds’ sower on different types of soil, Pastor Senyonga is one of the soils that were sown and flourished in my campaign message on wealth creation. I encourage him to continue the campaign,” he said.

The President was today addressing a congregation at Makerere-Kavule Christain Life Church, during which he officiated at the inaugural ceremony of Pastors Jackson and Eva Senyonga commissioning of regional and district coordinators to initiate them in the national campaign of church involvement to eradicate poverty.

The Christian Life Church campaign launch kicked off with Shs.140 million that was distributed by the church to regional coordinators, with each of them receiving Shs.10 million cash to start the mobilisation against poverty with the help of Church mobilizers in districts in the country.

Mr. Museveni challenged a fully parked church gathering of over 16,000 to be totally inspired and appreciate Uganda’s unique agricultural endowment and conducive climate of two or more production seasons in a year and resolve to fight poverty without necessarily applying irrigation.

“I thank Pastor Senyonga as one of the leaders in the Born Again Churches in Uganda for correctly recognizing that a Pastor must be an example in the fight against poverty in his own home before embarking on evangelization of the gospel. I totally support the project.”

Regarding the issue of criminality, the President said that criminals, wherever they may be hiding, will be defeated adding that government is modernising anti-crime infrastructure. He noted that the infrastructure so far established has produced positive results with the help of CCTV cameras as evidenced in the case of recent kidnappings and killings.

“All we need is for everyone to be vigilant to provide the necessary information on crime incidences to the Police,” he said.

Pastor Jackson Senyonga revealed that the launch of the anti-poverty campaign was a culmination of the 6-month research by his church that a big population in the country still lives in abject poverty and needed sensitization and financial empowerment.

“What the church is doing now is 10 per cent of the President’s contribution but silence is not an option,”, he observed.

He announced that the next phase in fighting against poverty would be tailored to ensure that factory establishments, big of small, would be the way to go especially in agro-processing.

Stories Continues after ad

Business around Africa in brief

By
Boses Muhinda
-

Zambia’s telecoms regulator has cancelled Vodafone’s local licence for its lack financial and technical capacity, it said. The move comes after Afrimax, an African telecoms provider hired by Vodafone to offer 4G data services, released a statement in July saying its shareholders had failed to recapitalise it.
Spreading like wild fire

Kenyan mobile money transactions jumped 47% this quarter, with $20.3 billion transferred via Kenyan mobile money services in the three months to the end of June. Safaricom’s market share slipped to 63.5% during the period from 65.4% last year, while India’s Bharti Airtel was up 24.6% from 21.4%.
Brave new world
South Sudan has launched mobile money services in the country in an attempt to shore up an economy ravaged by five-years of civil war. The move hopes to reach unbanked villagers in rural areas, but high rates of illiteracy, a scarcity of ID cards to register and poor network connection all need to be overcome first.
 

Scaling up
Kenya is building two utility scale solar plants to supply green energy to around 300,000 homes. Co-funded by the European Investment Bank, the project will cost $147 million and generate a combined capacity of 80MW.
Megahub
Nigerian innovation centre and seed-fund CcHub has acquired Nairobi based innovation space iHub to create mega African incubator. The two hubs will keep their names, and deepen their pool of investors with access to pipeline in Nigeria, Kenya  and Rwanda.
Border brawl
Nigeria and Benin are locked in a trade dispute just two months after signing the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA). Nigeria has shuttered the border with its smaller West African neighbour to curb the smuggling of rice and other products.

 

Stories Continues after ad

Traffic diversion along Namugongo-Seeta Road as NWSC lays water pipeline

By
Our Reporter
-

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), on behalf of government, is currently constructing The Katosi-Kampala Drinking Water Transmission Mains to supply drinking water to the increasing population of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

The new plant when completed will add over 160million litres of water per day to Kampala service area and cater for the growing demands for clean water in Kampala Metropolitan upto the year 2040.

NWSC has contracted Sogea Satom to implement the project which involves excavation and laying of water pipes across Namugongo-Seeta Road at Kanisa Ya Kristo, from Saturday 28th to Sunday 29th September 2019.

On Saturday and Sunday, some sections of Namugongo-Seeta Road are to be closed to traffic which will be diverted to alternative routes.

The excavation works shall be done in three phases to allow proper traffic management and minimize traffic disruptions.

“Normal time of work shall be at night. It will take two nights to install the pipes and backfill the road to make it passable. Permanent reinstatement of the road pavement shall be completed within nine (9) working days after the works,” NWSC says.

During the actual excavation works across the road, traffic coming in from Ssonde shall be diverted to Bbutto Road while that from Seeta shall be diverted to Jinja Road.

Traffic coming from Kyaliwajjala shall be diverted to Kireka-Namugongo Road and Ssemambo Road, adjacent to Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine.

Drivers are encouraged to follow the road signs and cooperate with the traffic police and traffic wardens.

Stories Continues after ad

UNGA 2019: Hands off our girls! African first ladies take campaign against rape, early child marriage, to UN General Assembly

By
Boses Muhinda
-

Africa’s first ladies, led by Sierra Leone Fatima Maada Bio brought their campaign to ban early child marriage and sexual violence against women and girls before a global stage in a passionate appeal for the world to support their “Hands Off Our Girls! Campaign.

In a no-holds barred conversation organized on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Wednesday, Bio flanked by her husband President Julius Bio, spoke to “lift the lid of silence” taboo and stigma surrounding rape and early marriage in Sierra Leone and other parts of the continent.

The high-level meeting was organised to rally support for the end of early marriage and rape in Africa, a movement which the Bios have spearheaded.

This year’s General Assembly has been dominated by delivery of the sustainable development goals, of which number 5 is Gender Equality.

In brief opening remarks, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina spoke out forcefully against all forms of early marriage and said the economic empowerment of women is a critical tool to end the vicious cycle of marginalization and gender imbalance.

“That’s why the Bank is raising $3 billion to support women,” Adesina said, referring to the Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women In Africa (AFAWA) initiative.

“Early marriage is not only a human rights abuse it is an economic issue,” Rachel Yates, Executive Director of Girls Not Brides, said.

Sharing intimate personal details, Maada Bio, recounted her personal story of running away from an arranged marriage to an older man in her early teens. Aided by an older sister, she took a flight out of her native Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom – without her father’s knowledge or permission. “I come from a family where girls are married at 12 years,” she said.

Three months later from the safety of the UK, her resolve was set.

“From that moment I vowed that I would not see a child being abused,” she said.

President Bio, responding to a question on how deeply set cultural mindsets could be changed, said it would take patience and persistence. “We have to leave some aspects of culture behind. We have to establish institutions and cascade our campaigns down across the entire country.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest incidences of rape and sexual assault on the continent. In February, President Bio declared a state of emergency due to the high incidences of rape.

Other prominent first ladies at the event included Jeanette Kagame of Rwanda, Clar Weah of Liberia, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first lady of Zimbabwe, Auxilla Mnangagwa, and Ermine Erdogan, first lady of Turkey.

Speaking passionately in support of her “Sierra Leonean sister,” Weah said it was time to collectively say no to abuse. “We renew our commitment to create a safe world for our girls in Africa. We entreat all presidents and heads of states to join us,” she said.

Ermine Erdogan, an ardent advocate against child marriage in Turkey and who made a special appearance to support the event, said the key to the empowerment of women was education.

“There is no excuse for early marriage. The place for a school-going child is school,” she said.

Other voices in support of the first ladies included Djereje Wordofa, UNFA Deputy Executive Director who said protection of girls and women and preventing abuse must become a national  priority.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation said it was a subject he dreaded but had to talk about. “Child marriage reinforces poverty…It is totally unacceptable. We must speak out against political, religious and social practices,” he said.

Since his election to office in 2018, President Bio has strongly advocated against early marriage and has tightened legal and policy frameworks for sexual offenders and rapists. The campaign is gaining traction and has been endorsed across the continent with the support of the African First Ladies.

The High-Level meeting follows a First Ladies Meeting on Combatting Child Marriage and Promoting Education of Girls in West Africa, which took place in Niamey in Niger on the Margins of the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union.

“Every time I get the opportunity, I say the fight against early marriage is not a political statement, it is a personal one. We need help,” Maada Bio said.

Stories Continues after ad

International Tourism Investment Forum: Will you be joining us before WTM London?

By
Guest Writer
-

By Dr. Taleb Rifai

Travel and tourism has become a major force of globalization, developing and accelerating at a phenomenon pace over the past decades. With improved connectivity, and major innovations in telecommunications and the web, the rate of growth of this sector has been accelerating at record height to stand out as one of the main economic pillars for destinations across the world.

The International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC) 2019 is meant to trigger a new thought process in tourism development in the wake of new technological innovation which is now being driven by block chain and artificial intelligence amidst changing geo-political forces.

Whilst world tourism is characterized by large inflows of visitors to Europe, America and Asia and Pacific, the potentials for tourism development in Africa are simply enormous. In focusing on the such developing regions, it is particularly important to highlight the contributions of island destinations in world tourism, as these are very attractive and are becoming the focus of the new generation of world travellers., yet they are particularly more vulnerable.

Likewise, the role of tourism towards more job and wealth creation signals a need for greater women participation and youth involvement in this dynamic industry. Empowering women and our youth to embark on a new and challenging mission for tourism should entail bigger investment and creativity for greater returns and value addition.

ITIC 2019 that will be held in November 2019 in London aims at addressing some of the key issues impacting on travel and tourism with a focus on investment potentials in new destinations, women entrepreneurship, youth empowerment and innovation. A wide cross-section of the business community is expected to participate in this important conference, which will also coincide with the World Travel Market. It will be an ideal platform to meet with key decision-makers, tourism developers, high net worth individuals and hotel promoters in search of new opportunities, as well as consultants and sector specialists from different parts of the world.

The travel and tourism industry has a bright future ahead. The shape and dimension of this industry depends on our vision and actions so it could generate higher returns on investment whilst opening a gateway to new business opportunities for those who dare.

It is therefore a great honor for me to invite you to attend ITIC 2019 ,to held immediately before WTM in London ,so we may all benefit from our collective experience under one roof and thus trigger a new thought leadership for a new economic vision for tourism. Let us join hands together to propel tourism to greater heights for economic wellbeing, social advancement, and innovation.

Beyond its economic importance to societies, our sector is yet fulfilling another noble mission. Tourism is a process of cultural exchange . It is a sector that deals primarily with human beings in search of experience, wellness and prosperity in a spirit of harmonious interactions with peoples of different origins, cultures and lifestyles.

Defining new pathways and investing in tourism is bound to create a new momentum that should help Governments, the business community and host nations at large to reap the benefits of tourism in a responsible, equitable and sustainable manner. It is just a matter of vision peppered with a good dose of audacity. Let us therefore follow our common dreams and see you all soon at ITIC 2019.

The writer is the Chairman ITIC Advisory Board and Former Secretary-General, UNWTO

Stories Continues after ad

Report calls for joint marketing of EAC as investment destination and eradication of NTBs

By
George Mangula
-

A report of the recently concluded high level conference on trade integration notes that there is a downward trend on the profile of the East African Community (EAC) as an attractive investment destination.

The report calls for the EAC Partner States to market EAC jointly, further consolidate free trade by eliminating individual State exemption lists, liberalize and allow free movement of trade and services, eradicate non-tariff barriers (NTBs), fully harmonize the Common External Tariff (CET) and domestic taxes and make business immune from politics.

To enhance competitiveness, the reports say EAC needs to reduce the cost of production, and stop relying on duty exemption arrangements like AGOA. Cost of production can be lowered by managing labour, energy, logistics and cost of inputs, like raw material. “Partner states should play complementary roles in ensuring that the region does not continue being the market of finished goods from other regions, but also a producer of goods for export,” it says.

However, delegates at the conference noted that there has been remarkable progress made on the EAC regional integration pillars namely the Customs Union, the Common Market, the Monetary Union and the Political Federation. Among them, the Customs Union is regarded as most successful notably with the implementation of common legal instruments and trade facilitation programmes across the region including the Single Customs Territory, One Stop Border Posts, Authorized Economic Operator Programme and the Customs Business systems interconnectivity.

The conference that was held in Nairobi, Kenya from September 25-27, 2019 was held to commemorate 20 years of the EAC and 15 years of the East African Customs Union. The overarching goal of the conference was to have an open, honest and critical self-examination as a region, with regard to what has been achieved, what has worked and what needs to be done to move the regional integration forward as well as improving the EAC trade policy and other instruments.

“The outputs of the conference are key to making EAC an attractive investment bloc, boost industrialization, infrastructure development as well as embracing emerging technologies for economic development. The future of the EAC can only be assured if there is continued support by all Partner States, both at policy formulation and implementation levels,” says the report.

Conference Recommendations:

  1. Promotion of intra-regional/continental trade should remain the core objective of integration. In light of this the EAC Common External Tariff should be reviewed to enhance internal trading environment and promote value chains for regional industrial development.
  2. Develop a comprehensive strategy that takes into account an appropriate technology, that ensures availability of skilled manpower and financial infrastructure for affordable financing, harmonize tax policies and ensure that EAC rules of origin are supportive to the development of value chains in the region, enhance collaboration between applied research, academia and private sector while enhancing the competitiveness of industries in the region. development partners to shift focus from humanitarian issues to supporting concrete means of industrialization such as market-based interventions that are private- sector friendly.
  3. The East African region to adopt emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as robotics, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI Harmonize laws and tax regulations, strengthen EAC dispute handling mechanisms, enforce self-regulation by private sector and governments support SMEs;
  4. Enhance data analysis aimed at identifying consumer trends, conduct intensive change management to create awareness on the available technologies and platforms that have been developed to facilitate trade in the region, develop measures to curb cyber-crime which impede the benefits of digitization.
  5. Operationalize the Trade Remedies Committee as a regional mechanism for dispute resolution;
  6. Women and youth agendas at all levels of decision making be addressed as separate sectors to develop strategies that will address their concerns;
  7. Regional Trade Agreements should be respected and implemented by Members in order to access benefits.
  8. Implement existing Agreements on airspace with the intention of achieving open skies to increase free movement of people across East Africa and the African Continent;
  9. Key determinants of Negotiating new agreements should focus on value chains, export diversification and addressing supply chain. In addition EAC should undertake comprehensive assessments of future impact on domestic economies, including industrial and tax implications, resulting from implementation of new agreements
  10. Strengthen the existing mechanism to enhance infrastructure efficiency and invest in other modes of transport such as railways, water and develop regulatory framework to facilitate Public/Private Partnerships;
  11. EAC to explore sustainable mechanisms to enable the EACJ to effectively implement its mandate;
  12. The EAC should re-visit EAC integration process to establish what is working and what is not working; Additionally, there is need for improved and more strategic engagement between the public and private sectors to enable the private sector to contribute effectively to the integration process;
  13. It is imperative for Private Sector to drive the EAC Integration process and reinforce advocacy in order to address critical challenges in the business environment.
Stories Continues after ad

Minimising scandals: BoU transfers staff in major shake up

By
Our Reporter
-
Bank of Uganda

Bank of Uganda (BoU) has transferred  several staff at its currency centres around the the country a as  a measure to minimise risks and strengthen internal controls in the currency operations that were recently hit by scandals as some staff stole old notes that were meant to be destroyed.

BoU has 9 branches and currency centres, that store, process and monitor the supply of currency to the government and private financial institutions in the surrounding cities, towns, and villages.
The branches also ensure that new banknotes are circulated in all the geographical regions of the country.

Explaining the new transfers, Ms Angela Kasirye Katete, the deputy director, corporate affairs, who is currently acting as the director of communications, confirmed what she called “normal transfers” but did not disclose the names of the affected people since some officials rejected the transfer.

Currency department, according to Bank of Uganda website, is responsible for the designing and ordering of banknotes and coins to meet the country’s demand; this is one of the main functions of the department.
The staff transfers, however, came after BoU issued new rules regarding access of cash rooms at currency centres whose unspecified cash was reportedly stolen at its Mbale centre.
The guidelines were issued early this month after they suspended some staff at the centre following allegations that some of them were arrested by security operatives while trying to sneak out old notes.

Ms Katete explained then that there were allegations of pilferage involving cancelled stock at Mbale Regional Branch and that the Bank was conducting internal investigations to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.
“BoU instituted internal investigations into the currency operations at Mbale Regional Branch and these are in advanced stages. When completed the Bank will take the necessary steps accordingly,” she said.

Under the new guidelines, note examiners acquire permission to access another currency branch other than the one they work for.
Currency centres have also been ordered to review daily CCTV records and to ban food and drinks in counting rooms, among other guidelines.

 

Stories Continues after ad

WHO and partners launch emergency vaccination campaign to help contain world’s largest measles outbreak

By
George Mangula
-
Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng

With the world’s largest and fastest-moving measles epidemic continuing to expand throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Government with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners today initiated a third emergency campaign of vaccinations in 24 health zones, targeting nearly 825 000 children aged 6 to 59 months.

Life-saving vaccines and supplies for the campaign have been provided by WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF and the DRC Government, with US$2.5 million funding from the United Nations Humanitarian Pooled Fund.

As of 17 September, a total of 183 837 suspected measles cases had been reported in 192 of the 519 health zones nationwide, including 3 667 deaths which exceed the number of deaths due to Ebola. Nearly all the deaths have been children.

Every one of the country’s 26 provinces has reported cases of measles and is battling to control this outbreak, which the Ministry of Health declared on 10 June.

“The DRC is experiencing a dire situation because too many children were missed by routine immunization,” said Dr Deo Nshimirimana, WHO Representative to the DRC. “The country now has large clusters of children who need to be vaccinated – WHO and partners are working with the Health Ministry to move as quickly as possible to reach them.”

In the DRC, routine measles immunization coverage was only 57 per cent in 2018.

This nine-day campaign, the third supported by WHO this year, will bring the total number of children aged 6–59 months reached through emergency vaccination campaigns to more than 4.1 million in at least 121 of the 192 affected health zones.

The 24 health zones targeted in this emergency campaign are located in six provinces: Equateur, Mongala, Kwilu, Kwango, Mai-Ndombe and Kasaï Oriental.

In addition to this WHO-supported campaign, other partners are also working with the Government to organize mass vaccination campaigns by 1 October. UNICEF is procuring and distributing vaccines, and keeping them safe through cold chain logistics, in six health zones of Kasai Oriental Province. Première Urgence Internationale will support a campaign in five health zones in Kasai Central Province. Médecins Sans Frontières is assisting with a campaign in five health zones in five provinces of Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, Tanganyika and Kwilu, while Médecins d’Afrique is targeting one health zone in South Kivu Province.

Vaccines previously secured for supplemental campaigns planned long ago are now being fast-tracked for 22–26 October 2019, November 2019 and January 2020.

In addition to the US$2.5 million from the United Nations Humanitarian Pooled Fund for the emergency campaign, the Ministry of Health has provided US$843 000 to purchase vaccines to cover urgent needs in health zones affected by the ongoing outbreak. WHO has also mobilized nearly US$500 000 from the Contingency Fund for Emergencies.

WHO has established a measles response advocacy committee to mobilize partners and donors in a joint effort to control the outbreak.

Stories Continues after ad

NSSF declares 11 per cent interest rate for 2018/19

By
Geoffery Serugo
-

Finance minister, Matia Kasaijja has declared 11 percent interest to be paid to those who save monthly with the National Social Security Fund  for the year 2018/19.

The declaration of the latest interest was made during NSSF 7th Annual Members’ Meeting at Kampala Serena Conference Centre.

This new interest rate will be calculated and credited on the balance outstanding on the members’ accounts as at 1st July 2018, in accordance with provisions of the NSSF Act.

The 11 per cent is a drop from last year’s 15 per cent  however the minister said the rate declared is higher than 6.7 per cent 10 year average rate of inflation and annual inflation of 3.4 per cent recorded last Financial Year.

“This rate I am announcing today is higher than the 6.7 per cent 10-year inflation rate which means that your money still holds much value” said the Minister

“The Fund size has grown by 13 per cent and contributions from workers increased by 17 per cent from Shs 1.049 Trillion to Shs 1.208 Trillion. This is quite impressive. We shall do everything we need to do to help the fund grow,” Kasaijja said.

Kasaija said the Uganda Economy has recovered from the shocks of 2016/17, growing at over six per cent last financial year. “This year we even project a better economic growth,” he said

The amount of money paid in benefits to qualifying members, according to the fund, increased by 25 percent from Shs 360 billion in 2017/2018 to Shs 450 billion in 2018/2019 and the average benefits turn-around-time 2018/19 remained flat at 8 days.

“The Fund has paid you a real return, eliminating the risk of erosion of the value of your saving as a result of inflation, and growing the savings in real terms. I would like to applaud Board and Management for ensuring that members’ savings are preserved.” He echoed

NSSF Board Chairman, Patrick Kaberenge, welcomed the move to amend the NSSF Act cap 222 With the decision to preserve NSSF as the mandatory scheme for workers in the private sector.

He said Customer satisfaction slightly dipped by one per cent from 85 per cent in 2017/2018 to 84 per cent in 2018/2019. The key factor affecting the rating is limited product offering which we hope to address through the proposed amendment to the NSSF act.

Stories Continues after ad

Tourism And Jobs; A Better Future For All

By
Guest Writer
-

BY LILLY AJAROVA

Today, Uganda joins the rest of the world to mark World Tourism Day 2019 at the PECE Stadium in Gulu. This year’s celebrations are organized under the theme: Tourism and Jobs, a better future for all. Celebrated every 27 September around the world, the purpose of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.

The day seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

As a nation, this year’s theme particularly speaks to an important section of the new development Agenda for Uganda which is job creation.

According to the just-released Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report (FY2018/19), international visitor arrivals increased by 7.4% from 1,402,409 in 2017 to 1,505,669 in 2018. This is well above global and Africa’s tourism growth rates, which in 2018 stood at 3.9% and 5.6%, respectively, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

This subsequently led to a 10.3% growth in forex earnings, from US$ 1.45 billion in 2017 to US$1.6 billion in 2018. The sector also accounted for 7.7 percent of the national GDP.

The improved performance is attributed to increased stakeholder marketing efforts (both domestic and abroad), increased participation and understanding of tourism and its role in the economy, increased investments in the sector as well as a stable political environment and improved conservation efforts.

This growth has had a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of Ugandans and Ugandan households, through especially the creation of jobs. Sector employment grew by 10.3% from 605,500 jobs in 2017 to 667,600 jobs in 2018, much faster than overall economic growth, which stood at 5% in 2018. Of specific significance is the fact that 77% of the sector jobs go to the youth (18 – 30yrs) and 58% of sector employees are women.

In the same line, the World Bank is financing the construction of a new Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja which will help in improving the skillset of persons employed in the sector. Most crucially, the private sector should join hands with government so as to ensure that the training here meets their needs.

 

Currently, Uganda Tourism Board is prioritizing tourism product development, diversification and investment as one of the ways to increase jobs in the sector and give our tourism offering a competitive edge.

We currently have two bankable products for investment along the equator and another on marine tourism. We believe that once these products are taken on, we shall have hundreds of jobs opening up in the sector and the boost to the economy will be evident.

Furthermore, during FY 2018/19, the sector identified and initiated the development of coffee, agriculture and homestays as viable tourism products. The highly inclusive nature of these products will support the economic transformation of regional communities across Uganda through job creation and income generation amongst the youth and the elderly.

As UTB, we undertook a countrywide retraining, registration and certification of all tour guides. The underlying aim of this exercise is to equip the guides with basic definitions, concepts of tourism, why it is important to provide professional tourism experiences, contribution to socio economic development at local and national level, value chain nodes, typologies, relevant laws and policies, government and private actors and institutions.

We are happy that private sector actors have also undertaken similar trainings with the guides.

As travelers begin to show interest in lesser traveled parts of the country, there will also be an increase in job requirements in rural areas. We are positive about Uganda’s prospects.

The author is the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Tourism Board.

Stories Continues after ad
1...1,1841,1851,186...2,410Page 1,185 of 2,410

© Eagle Online. All rights reserved.

About Us

Popular Category

Editor Picks