Museveni commissions 16 factories, breaks ground for 9 others at Mbale Industrial Park

Mbale, (UG): President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has attributed Uganda’s flourishing Industrial sector to the good policy decisions made by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.

The President made the remarks while commissioning 16 factories and groundbreaking for the construction of 9 new ones at Sino Uganda- Mbale Industrial Park in Mbale City.

“In many of our tribes, we say wisdom is stronger than strength. When we look at these Industrial Parks, we can see the importance of a correct policy. Today, we commissioned 16 factories and then we made a groundbreaking for another 9, so that is 25. You remember this site here was a bush some years ago but now we have a labor force of 2,000 with 36 factories here. All this is because of policy decisions but policy decisions using our resources because the stimulus which brings investors here is the market,” President Museveni expounded.

Currently, the Sino Uganda-Mbale Industrial Park has 36 factories composed of; 20 factories in operation, one factory destroyed by fire, 5 factories under construction, and 12 at a stage of assembling plant and machinery.

He also explained that the government of Uganda created a conducive environment that has enabled investors to come and invest in the country.

The President also reassured investors of a ready market for their products.

“These investors have spectacles that enable them to detect where there’s money. It’s upon us to provide a conducive environment that enables whoever wants to invest to come. That is our role. With a proper policy, everything does itself, that is why a person you least know about approaches you that they want to set up a textile factory. They do this because they know Ugandans must dress up and they have the required raw materials here needed to produce clothes. Then that’s how government comes in to catalyze the process by providing electricity, peace, roads, and other needed infrastructure,” he added.

“Many people don’t know that having a market is wealth. We have a market for Ugandans of 46 million and on that, we add the East African market of 130 million people as well as the African market of 1.5 billion people. All those people have needs which should be got using money from their pockets.”

The President further thanked the NRM members who understand and support the vision and strategy of the party which has proved to be fruitful.

He also commended the friends of Uganda, especially the Chinese who have been working on mutual understanding and cooperation with the East African country and Africa since 1949.

“They started working with our elders like Mzee Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, and others because we are on the same side, we are against imperialism; we are for freedom. In the past, we were working together politically in the United Nations and other bodies but now I’m very glad the Chinese government is encouraging Chinese companies; government and private; to go out and invest in Africa. I thank them so much,” he asserted.

“If you may recall, there were some misunderstandings when we permitted Indians to come back to Uganda. We had some less focused people who never wanted them to come back but I insisted that the Indians must be given back their property that was confiscated by the Idi Amin government because you cannot annoy the pioneer investor and you think that the new one will trust you.”