Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) yesterday 2nd November 2021 received 1 square mile of land for industrial park development from the Ministry of Defence in Nakasongola. The land was received by the UIA team led by their Chairman, Morrison Rwakakamba.
UIA, as the chief investment promotion agency of the Government of Uganda, was directed by the President to establish 25 industrial parks, regionally and equitably distributed throughout Uganda, in the next five years (current presidential term).
Construction of these business parks is aimed at creating more jobs, easing accessibility of land for investments, introducing new research, technologies and skills development as well as boosting Uganda’s exports hence increasing Uganda’s revenue base.
To implement the Presidential directive, UIA has planned to establish five industrial parks each year, totalling 25 in 2025.
To effect that, UIA has embarked on a nationwide land mobilisation, to feed into the Investment Land Bank.
Land in the land bank will be used to establish the 25 industrial parks, as well as support private industrial parks development.
The President also directed local governments to provide free land for industrial parks development, saying Government, through UIA, will no longer buy land for industrial parks.
So far, six districts in northern Uganda have offered a total of 3,380 acres of land freely to UIA for the establishment of industrial parks including Nebbi (511 acres), Madi-Okollo (515), Yumbe (1,200), Oyam (154, Lira (500) and Dokolo (500).
The 3,380 acres of land add onto the 1,270 acres of land offered earlier during the Western leg of the mission, bringing a total of 4,850 acres of land.
The industrial parks are supposed to have a minimum of 500 acres of land.
From the 1 square mile that was received yesterday in Nakasongola, 50 acres of it have been allocated to Elsewedy Electric to manufacture transformers, water meters, Yaka meters, and high voltage insulators.
The UIA team also visited Butambala District where they were welcomed by MP for Butambala, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi. The district also proposed to offer 500 acres of land to the land bank.
“This park is not only for Butambala, but the whole of greater Mpigi. If Butambala delays, other districts will take it. We want our people engaged in industrial production” said Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi.
During this quest in Butambala, Robert Mukiza, Director-General of Uganda Investment Authority also urged the people to transform coffee, milk, hides and skins into finished products with added value in order to make more from them. “Butambala has great agro and economic potential, there’s money to make here” added Morrison Rwakakamba.
Robert Mukiza also spoke to the potential of Butambala district saying “I’ve read the investment profile of Butambala district. We’re producing lots of agro produce but exporting jobs. We need this park.”
The completion of these industrial parks will add value to locally available raw materials thus boosting the agricultural and mineral sectors. There are three Government-owned industrial parks within the Kampala-Mukono region. These include the Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), Namanve, Luzira Industrial, and Bweyogerere Industrial Parks