BY
MOSES SSERWANGA
In concerted effort to
push Uganda to a middle income economy by 2020, the Uganda Investment Authority
(UIA) has rolled out an ambitious strategic plan to build and complete six new
Industrial and Business parks.
The six (6) new
Industrial and Business Parks will be located in Jinja, Nakasongola, Arua,
Buliisa, Gulu and Lira districts. Government has also committed to secure an
additional Ug. Shs 500bn to complete the Kampala Industrial and Business Park
(KIBP), Namanve. According to the UIA five-year strategic plan which will run
until 2021, the Industrial Parks are meant to promote Uganda as a destination
for profitable investment,
business and innovation to create an estimated 1,000,000 (one million) jobs by
2021.
The UIA strategy and
the mission to develop these parks follows President Yoweri Museveni’s
directive to fast track development of the 22 gazetted Industrial Parks
countrywide, as a means to accelerated industrialization, create jobs, wealth
and ensure inclusive development for the entire country in line with the NRM
Manifesto 2016-2021.
Already, Kiira Motors
Corporation is in the process of extending electricity and water to the Jinja
Industrial and Business Park where their Vehicle Plant is to be situated. The contribution to employment of the Vehicle Plant’s establishment is
estimated at over 850 jobs from the Start-Up Investment. At full-scale Plant
Operation, over 2,000 jobs are estimated to be created directly and over 12,000
jobs created indirectly.
The
Authority also plans to develop four (4) regional Science, Technology and
Industrial Parks (STIPs) during the 5-year period. Each regional STIP will
house a “German-model Multi-Skills Development Center” to offer broad-based, multi-disciplinary
and hands-on training in skills and trades in various industrial and technical
fields--along the German model of vocational education and training. The objectives are to produce "industry
ready" skilled graduates.
UIA has also proposed another
four (4) regional Israel-model Agribusiness Technical and Vocational Skills Institutes.
Central Uganda’s Agribusiness Skills Institute will be located in Nakaseke
District-Luwero Triangle. It will focus on crop agriculture and animal
resources value chains. Eastern Uganda’s Agribusiness Skills Institute will be
located on the border of Katakwi District (Teso sub-region) and Napak District
(Karamoja sub-region). It will focus on dryland agriculture with irrigation and
animal resources value chain.
Northern Uganda’s Agribusiness
Skills Institute will be located in Rhino Camp, Arua District on the banks of the
River Nile. It will focus on Aqua-culture (commercial fish farming), Apiary (commercial
bee keeping and honey production), and citrus/fruits value chains. While Western
Uganda’s Israel-model Agribusiness Skills Institute will be located in Kabarole
District and focus on livestock and diary value chain.
UIA seeks to tap the Ug
Shs 500bn Innovation Fund set by President Museveni for the four (4) regional
Science, Technology and Industrial Parks; German-model Multi-Skills Development
Centers, and the Israel-model Agribusiness Technical & Vocational Skills
Institutes. And the Authority has projected Ug. Shs 20 bn over 5 years for the
German and Israel models Technical and Vocational Skills Centers.
The German-model
Multi-Skills Development Centers will anchor and provide “Industry-ready”
skilled graduates, especially for the regional Science, Technology and
Industrial Parks. Meanwhile the Israel-model Agribusiness Vocational Institutes
will feed into the Industrial Parks in their regional catchment areas. They
will admit young people with qualifications right from ‘O’, ‘A’ levels, BTVET,
diplomas and those with degrees.
The idea is to have as
many youths with a diversity of qualifications as possible to benefit from
these proposed world-class Skills Development Facilities, UIA sources said.
Training and mentoring
in both the German and Israel model Skills Centers/Institutes are expected to
take between 1-2 years maximum. UIA expects both the German and Israel BTVET models
to be operational by the third year 2019/2020 and each model is expected to admit
at least 500 students at the opening, and develop over 2,000 “Industry-ready”
skilled graduates by 2021.
This new blue-print is
geared at making Uganda a profitable hub and destination for investment. It is in
turn predicated on Uganda as the land of entrepreneurial and innovative people.
UIA will also harness the
international goodwill towards Uganda through global strategic partnerships
with China, South Korea, Israel and Singapore to ensure that the objectives of its
new strategic plan for Industrial Parks development to accelerate industrialization
is achieved.
The
writer is a Media and Communications Consultant/Trainer and Advocate of the
High Court of Uganda
This
article can also be found at: msserwanga.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment