Reviving Uganda’s textile sector: We need a dose of Gandhism

The latest from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) is that Uganda is set to revamp her textile industry, which as of today is in limbo at two levels. On the primary production level lint cotton from the farm), the quantities in terms of bales are a far cry from the era of the three Cs (Coffee, Cotton, Copper) that drove our growth half a century ago. The second level of limbo is that even this little lint is exported raw, thus we ‘die twice like charcoal’.  The MTIC initiative is therefore welcome, but should not be spearheaded directly by the ministry.

My humble take is this: for starters, the entire focus and effort should shift from the ministry to Uganda Development Corporation (UDC). It becomes easier and faster that way, very much like Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) is implementing what is passed at policy level by the parent/supervising ministry in the oil and minerals sector. Actually, even with UDC, the corporation should remain the holding company (or lead investor in partnership with local investors such as NSSF or foreign industry experts wakina Yamato), into three laterally integrated companies: spinning into yarn, weaving into textiles and fabrics and sewing into garments, linen and related products.

On a light note, wouldn’t Uganda Airlines need company, an ‘age-mate’ from the old blue-chip league?  What better opportune time than now to revive UGIL? For the dotcom generation, UGIL is Uganda Garments Industries Ltd, one of the many companies under UDC, and till the early 90s, it produced world-class cotton garments. UGIL, managed by a business-savvy dream team under the overall supervision  of UDC, is what will drive the resurrection of the cotton  sector, in a value-chain structure with producers, principally through cooperatives as of old: Lango Cooperative Union, Bukedi Cooperative Union, Nyakatonzi Cooperative Union of the old league, and perhaps new ones. And talking of production, in line with the times, cotton can be intercropped with mulberry trees for silk production, plus seasonal crops for food security.

The key role of the ministry at this stage would be both policy and lobbying. This lobbying will be critical at two levels, namely the Ugandan Parliament to legislate against importation of mitumba/mivumba (secondhand if not fourth-hand fabrics, garments, linen and related products); reinforced by a global campaign against this heinous practice. The current dumping and damping of used underwear, rugs, and other domestic and factory rejects in Uganda cannot allow the revival of the textile sector.  It is only when we have effective aggregate demand at the local level that we shall be able to revive our textile sector and the cotton industry in general.

And this will not come easy as we have recently witnessed. A reaction from one foreign mission here a few months back is a pointer that we may need a dose of Gandhism. As cited in the opening dialogue above, it took a national boycott of English textiles and garments in India for the Indian sector to grow, in the face of such draconian colonial laws such as the Calico Act. In the dialogue, a factory owner in Manchester is literally begging The Mahatma to allow English yarn and fabrics into India, pleading for his 300 employees, to which Gandhi retorts with his 300 million unemployed citizens in India.

Over to you guys at NPA, MTIC, MoFPED, UDC, UIA, UMA, PSFU.

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