Accounting Technicians Diploma is the best performed course according to the latest results released by Public Accountants Examinations Board of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda.

According to the results released Wednesday at Imperial Royale Hotel, the average pass rate of the 286 candidates who sat for the June 2017 examinations is 44.3%. However, this was a decline from 48.5% the average pass rate registered in November last year.

The second best performed course is Certified Tax Advisor (CTA) having registered an average pass rate of 42.2% from the 86 candidates that sat for the course. This was the second sitting for the CTA course since its inception last year.

The worst performed course was the Certified Public Accountants of Uganda. The average pass rate in this course was 35.0% compared to 43.6% in November 2016.

The president of ICPAU Protazio Begumisa blamed the decline and general poor performance on several factors. Among those pointed out was the lack of study materials and little time for the courses.

“The decline in performance was caused by variations in study conditions. Many of our students are working and are engaged most of the time,” Begumisa said further adding that the performance in the CPA course had declined.

“Having all students in one session at ago is a huge challenge. Majority of our students are upcountry and hardly interact with the institute, which makes orienting them very hard. The little information they have is from the internet. Yet we are not a teaching institution or University that we ask what is taught….. We ask what professionals ought to know,” he added.
He further urged his senior colleagues in the profession to come to the help of most.

“We have so many good people in the profession but unfortunately, many don’t want to class (as lecturers) because it’s less paying than where they are employed. It’s only a few of us doing it and we are doing it out of passion and the love to help others. We call upon other senior members in the profession to join us (as lecturers),” Begumisa noted.

Meanwhile, he also informed the press that they had put some measures in place to counter the decline in performances. Some of that is the securing of study materials which are now available and in use.

“These are high quality materials. Purchase of study materials (Shs50, 000) will be a condition for the first time registration for an examination in a subject. This condition starts with the November 2017 examinations. We want to be sure that the students preparing for examinations have accessed the same basic study materials,” Begumisa added.

Exams were done from seven examination centres of Arua, Fort Portal, Gulu, Kampala, Mbale, Mbarara and Nkozi. They were held from May 29 May to June 5, 2017.

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The construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) will boost investments in the Bukedi Sub region, which is endowed with fertile soils and minerals, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has stated in its latest profile of the region.

UIA, the lead agency charged with the promotion of investments, has profiled the region that borders south western Kenya at the key border towns of Busia and Malaba, through which Uganda exports and imports its goods.

In the profile code-named ‘Bukedi Investment Profile 2017’, the UIA says: “Coupled with this is the expected development of offshoot industries and services which will project Bukedi region in the right direction to boost employment and incomes of the locals.”

The region comprises the districts of Tororo, Busia, Pallisa Butaleja, Budaka, and Kibuku, all with high potential for the development of commercial agriculture and agri-business, tourism as well as quarrying and mining.

According to UIA, the region and particularly Tororo district, is going to be the hub of the SGR where the eastern and northern routes from Kenya will be divided. The eastern route will run from Tororo to Kampala through Iganga and Jinja (261km) while the northern route will run through Gulu to Nimule (476km) with a spur to Pakwach (117km).

The region currently is served by a network of tarmac and feeder roads including the Mombasa-Kampala highway in the northern corridor.

Bukedi sub region is synonymous with cotton growing and ginning although there are few farmers engaged in robusta coffee farming. The region also has potential investment opportunities in improved fruit such as mangoes, oranges, pineapples.

The UIA profile shows that agri-businesses can also invest in food crops such as rice, cassava, beans, maize, onions, sunflower, millet as well as livestock farming.

Further, the UIA indicates that the sub region has proven deposits of gold at Tira and Amonikakine in Busia, while magnetic iron ore and 45 million tonnes of phosphate exist at Sukulu. Other minerals include titanium and rare earth elements.

The region already hosts industries such as Tororo Cement which mines limestone and Uganda Clays which manufactures building materials such as tiles and blocks.

The fact that Bukedi strides the border of Uganda and Kenya, the location offers numerous cross border trade opportunities in produce rice, fish, beans, coffee, maize which have lucrative market in Kenya. UIA says Bugisu sub region, with Mbale town, is also a good market for Bukedi’s products.

However, UIA says the region faces challenges like low prices of produce, inadequate storage facilities, inadequate skills and low urbanization which is characterised by low presence of banks, internet booths and shopping malls.

But the challenges, UIA says can be turned into opportunities by the investors.

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Uganda’s coffee exports went upwards in the month of May as they rose 25.2% to reach 408,454 60 -kilo bags from the 326,232 bags exported in April, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) says in the latest report released just hours ago.

UCDA is the lead agency responsible for the development of the coffee subsector, and its report shows that the May coffee exports earned the country USD$47.6 million, which was 20.8% higher that the USD$39.4 million the country earned in April. The May exports were higher, given that UCDA had anticipated exporting 300,000 bags.

Uganda grows both Arabica and Robusta coffee, much of it produced by small-holder farmers. The country produces more Robusta than Arabica coffee but Arabica coffee fetches high prices on the world market because its sweet aroma.

The country exported 324,640 bags of Robusta coffee, accounting for 79.48%compared to 83,814 bags of Arabica coffee.

‘June exports are projected at 420,000 bags since the fly crop from central and eastern regions has started ripening and the main season in Masaka and South western region has also started’, UCDA says.

The May report further indicates that the Authority has given out 102, 401, 992 coffee seedlings to farmers across the country.

UCDA also divulged that coffee farmers’ registration pilot study in Mukono is continuing, with 25,000 households registered so far.

Uganda is Africa’s number one coffee exporter while Ethiopia, which consumes most of its coffee. is the continent’s largest coffee producer. Most Ugandans consume tea instead of coffee.

Uganda exports her coffee mainly to the European Union, Sudan, Algeria and India. Other countries that import Uganda’s coffee are Tunisia, Morocco, USA, Japan, South Africa and China, among others.

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