Museveni to investors: Buy local raw materials
President Museveni inspects Modern Tiles plant in Buikwe District on October 25, 2022. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
President Museveni has tasked investors to buy local raw materials, saying this would increase employment opportunities among Ugandans, especially the youth.
“By purchasing the raw materials locally, our people get jobs,” Mr Museveni said while commissioning the Modern Tiles Company under Modern Group of Companies on Tuesday. The factory is located in Buikwe District.
Modern Tiles joins the likes of Goodwill and Millennium Tiles to promote import substitution of ceramics tiles, which are important in housing and construction.
The firm's mother company- Modern Group of Companies also produces organic fertilisers, luxury beverages, hand sanitisers, sugar, aluminum and modern distillers among other products.
The President lauded proprietors of Modern Tile Company for responding to the government's call of using raw materials purchased locally.
He added that he would engage his Kenyan and Tanzanian counterparts to forge a way on how to improve the transport network and make it cheap for Ugandans and business people in the region.
“I will talk to the Kenyan government to streamline transport by railway from Mombasa to Kisumu. Another route in Tanzania from Tanga to Mwanza leading to Ishungyezi to exploit iron ore mines. This can make this part of Africa an industrial base. The population of 1.3 billion Africans is a huge market,” the President said.
Mr Museveni further attributed some of the causes of uprisings in some African countries to youth unemployment.
“What NRM government is doing now is to set up as many factories as possible to ensure that the youth are employed. This helps to prevent them from being diverted by economic and political saboteurs,” he said.
Ms Evelyn Anite, the State Minister for Investment and Privatisation, applauded President Museveni for creating a conducive environment that has enabled investors to set up big factories in Uganda.
“Uganda should thank you, Your Excellency. It’s your effort that there is zero ceramics and tiles importation in the country,” she said
The minister, however, pointed out challenges that are being faced by sugar factories in Uganda like lack of sugarcanes, which has lead to limited production.
“Your Excellency, we should engage all sugar stakeholders so that we find a lasting solution to the problem,” she remarked.
The Chairman of Modern Group Limited, Ashish Monpara, pledged that the company’s total new investment in the next five years will be more than $400 million.
He also disclosed that the group is looking forward to set up a pharmaceutical vaccine plant in Uganda.
“For this, we are already in discussions with Minister Evelyn Anite and Uganda Investment Authority to secure the appropriate land. Our budget for this pharmaceutical vaccine plant is $100 million,” he said.
