Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU)
Tel : +256 (414) - 342163, 230956 | Fax : +256 (414) - 259109
Email : psfu@starcom.co.ug | Web: www.psfuganda.org
Location: Plot 43, Nakasero Hill Road,Kampala, Uganda Address: P.O. Box 7683 Kampala, Uganda  PSFU: Stop importing goods made locally - Private Sector Local manufacturers have appealed to government to include them in the procurement processes, saying this would reduce capital flight from the country and promote local investment.Mr Gideon Badagawa, the executive director Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), said it was time government stopped importing goods made by local industries."Including local producers in procurement processes would not only reduce on capital flight but also promote production and competition at external and internal market. The government will be able to know what it gets from local producers and what should be imported," Mr Badagawa said.He made the remarks at a three-day expo organised by PSFU, Kampala City Traders Association (Kacita) and Kampala Business Forum at Uganda Manufacturers Association grounds in Kampala.He said the importation of goods made locally was a betrayal to national economy and the fight against rampant unemployment. Read more ▪ PSFU: Businesses warned against abuse of environmental laws Businesses targeting the European market have been warned against abuse of environmental and social laws because European countries are beginning to use them as excuses to deny entry of goods to their countries.While launching the corporate social responsibility awards at the Uganda Manufacturers Association Show Grounds in Kampala, Mr Gideon Badagawa, the executive director Private Sector Foundation Uganda, said companies which do not respect the environment, do not relate well with people and those which use their profits to cause social disorder, risk being blacklisted from the European markets because corporate social responsibility is now a global trend. Read more ▪ PSFU: Private sector plans social responsibility fund Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) is in advanced stages of setting up a corporate social responsibility fund, the chairman has said.Mr Patrick Bitature, while speaking at a Yunus Social business graduation ceremony recently, revealed that the fund is meant to give back to the communities in which they operate.The fund, he said, will support social businesses which are engaging in development work. He hailed social entrepreneurship as the only way to promote sustainable development. “Social entrepreneurs act as change agents for society. They seize opportunities others miss and improve systems, inventing new approaches, and creating solutions to change society for the better,” he said.Adding that, social entrepreneurs come up with new solutions to social problems and then implement them on a large scale. Read more ▪ PSFU: Government good at policy formulation, poor at implementation - Badagawa How would you compare the private sector now and then?The private sector has expanded beyond our expectation. It is employing more Ugandans, paying more in taxes and exporting more goods and services. We have now been rated as the most entrepreneurial country by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.The private sector is described as the engine of growth. How has PSFU worked towards this sentiment?Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has offered support to the formulation of public policy and programmes including the poverty eradication action plan, plan for modernisation of agriculture, the medium term competitiveness project, and strategic export programme, among others. We have initiated public-private dialogue with government and formulated programmes, plans and priorities together. Read more ▪ PSF: Private sector urges rebranding to redirect strategy and fortunes Rebranding can lease a fresh breath of life into any organisation if handled well and done at the right time, the leadership of the private sector apex body has advised. Rebranding efforts may include a name change, new logo or packaging and updated marketing materials that include industry buzzwords.Private Sector Foundation Uganda executive director Gideon Badagawa, says rebranding is something that private sector players can resort to if it deems it necessary to redirect its strategy as well as fortunes.“There is nothing wrong with organisations rebranding. We encourage that, but it should be formally done because it is a good thing to do considering that it can re-energise the institution operation,” Mr Badagawa said at the sideline interview of the launch of Uganda Doing Business Report in Kampala. Read more ▪ PSFU: Private sector urges rebranding to redirect strategy and fortunes Rebranding can lease a fresh breath of life into any organisation if handled well and done at the right time, the leadership of the private sector apex body has advised. Rebranding efforts may include a name change, new logo or packaging and updated marketing materials that include the industry buzzwords.Private Sector Foundation Uganda executive director Gideon Badagawa, says rebranding is something that private sector players can resort to if it deems it necessary to redirect its strategy as well as fortunes.“There is nothing wrong with organisations rebranding. We encourage that, but it should be formally done because it is a good thing to do considering that it can re-energise the institution operation,” Mr Badagawa said at the sideline interview of the launch of Uganda Doing Business Report in Kampala. Read more ▪ PSFU: Government urged to pay contractors, suppliers on time Government has been urged to speed up the payment processes to contractors and suppliers who take part in public procurement.Gideon Badagawa, the Executive Director of the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU) says delays in making payments breeds corruption tendencies among bidders who inflate costs as a mark-up for delays.“Are we paying on time? For as long as we delay payments, people tend to be corrupt because they know that the money will come,” he said. Badagawa made the remarks yesterday while addressing a bidders’ conference organized by PSFU, the World Bank and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA).He also urged Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to do more if they want to take part in public procurement activities, which takes the biggest chunk of the government budget. Read more ▪ PSFU: Partnerships key to improving labour market, says expert Joint investments through Public Private Partnership (PPP) by both government and private sector are key to improving labour markets in developing countries, former governor of Reserve Bank of India has said.Speaking at the Joseph Mubiru Memorial lecture in Kampala, Dr Duvvuri Subarao said neither government nor the private sector can independently invest in skilling labour because of constant labour mobility.“The private sector can’t invest in reviving skills for someone to learn and go, and someone else poaches them,” he said.“The government too cannot do it because it is a bad educator. So you need a PPP model to build skills in the country,” he added.The economist further said skills shortage is a big challenge not just in India but also in Uganda, which have a high rate of population growth. Read more ▪ Private sector to govt: Act on export trade barriers to stabilise Shilling The private sector wants government to deal with export trade barriers which largely explain the depreciating Shilling rather than give excuses for the currency volatility.Talking to Daily Monitor in Kampala, Private Sector Foundation Uganda executive director Gideon Badagawa said Uganda is a net importer and so long as the situation remains the same, the economy will always be vulnerable to shocks from the declining value of the Shilling. Commenting on remarks by Finance minister Matia Kasaija that tear gas, among other imports, is responsible for the loss of value of the Shilling against the dollar, Mr Badagawa said government should deal with the problem and not whine about it.He said: “Importing tear gas is one thing, but the real issue here is we are not attracting enough foreign direct investment and the Central Bank must do more in ensuring less outflow of foreign currency.” Read more ▪ PSFU: Buying local by force of law As Uganda's manufacturing sector grows, local producers have hatched a policy to compel the government, through its agencies, to buy locally made products. Dubbed 'Buy Uganda Build Uganda' (BUBU), the new policy aims at enhancing consumption of locally produced goods and services through according them preference over the imported equivalents. The move has, however, drawn criticism from some who say a policy to compel pride in local products is not necessary if quality standards are met.The policy is a boost to 'Proudly Uganda' campaign that was launched by PSFU with the aim of ensuring that Ugandans commit to local products by increasing demand for local goods and services. The advocates claim it will ensure that existing jobs are kept and new jobs are created.The pushers of the new policy; including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), and the Uganda Manufacturers Association, say initiatives towards encouraging the purchase and use of Ugandan products that have been in development must finally come to fruition.Read more ▪ PSFU: Bitature assures investors on market for produce The chairman Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU) Patrick Bitature has called on investors to take advantage of the central location of Uganda to tap into surrounding markets. “This is a huge market which any serious and strategic investor should take advantage of. Much as we are land-locked, we can still position ourselves in the region and grab this market,” said Bitature. This was at a dinner organized by the French embassy for the visiting delegation that concluded its visit to Uganda. The visit that was initiated by Bitature was aimed at creating partnerships between the private sector in Uganda and that of France in areas of improving agricultural productivity. He said that there has been macro stability, in addition to checked inflation and sufficient labour for investors to tap into. The France’s Ambassador to Uganda, Sophie Makame, urged Ugandans to take advantage of the team to forge future partnerships. She said that the French economy grew mainly with support from the agriculture sector which is considered an economic activity and not just for food security in homes.Read more ▪ Government bureaucracy affecting investment - PSFU boss Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) board chairman Patrick Bitature wants government institutions to do more in curbing bureaucracy because it is an issue that the private sector encounters regularly. He says the slow and confusing bureaucracy negatively impact on the much-needed development agenda that the government expects to be driven by the private sector. Speaking during the KCB property bus tour, Mr Bitature cited real estate developers among the victims of government bureaucracies because they must get approvals from several government agencies before putting up properties.“Getting official documents from such institutions to put up property takes a long time, and that discourages investors,” Mr Bitature said.He continued: “If we are to encourage growth in the sector, such issues must be addressed quickly.” Read more ▪ Government bureaucracy affecting investment - PSFU boss Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) board chairman Patrick Bitature wants government institutions to do more in curbing bureaucracy because it is an issue that the private sector encounters regularly. He says the slow and confusing bureaucracy negatively impact on the much-needed development agenda that the government expects to be driven by the private sector. Speaking recently during the KCB property bus tour, Mr Bitature cited real estate developers among the victims of government bureaucracies because they must get approvals from several government agencies before putting up properties.“Getting official documents from such institutions to put up property takes a long time, and that discourages investors,” Mr Bitature said.He continued: “If we are to encourage growth in the sector, such issues must be addressed quickly.” Read more ▪ UPS: 20 Years of Privatization in Uganda The success of both the Private and Public Sector depends on Government. In the era when the Public Sector-dominated the economy, the Private Sector Players used to cry foul that ‘’the Government was interfering too much in the business of doing business of which it [GOU] was a poor owner and Manager.”They accused Government, not only of inefficiency and ineffectiveness but also of corruption.Then the era of liberalization, privatization, decentralization, democratization, economic integration and globalization came, courtesy the Bretton Wood Institutions and the Private Sector. Given that scenario, then, why should the Private Sector blame the Government, anymore, for economic inefficiency? Read more ▪ UNICEF, private sector form partnership to promote children rights The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) have launched a partnership to boost the Invest in UG children campaign to contribute to government’s efforts to produce a human resource capable to deliver the Vision. The PSFU and UNICEF launched the partnership Wednesday to raise and complain for increased government funding to child development and protection programs and encourage businesses to integrate child protection and nurturing interventions in their corporate social responsibility programs.Gideon Bagadawa, the PSFU executive director, noted that Uganda cannot achieve Vision without investing in children’s development and pursuing policies that will promote better health care, nutrition, education, combat violence and abuse against children and proper child upbringing. Read more ▪ PSF: Uganda cargo at Mombasa increases by 14.4 per cent Uganda’s cargo handled by the port of Mombasa has increased by 14.4 per cent, a half-year- Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) report has said.The report on general clearing of cargo showed the transit traffic recorded an impressive 9.6 per cent growth to stand at 3.53 million tonnes up from 3.22 million . KPA managing director Gichiri Ndua said: “Uganda, our biggest transit market, has continued to increase its usage of the port. In the first six months of this year, Uganda cargo handled at the port increased by 14.4 per cent to 2.72 million tonnes compared to 2.38 million tonnes.”Responding to this performance, Private Sector Foundation Uganda executive director Gideon Badagawa said seeing Uganda’s bound cargo increase is as a result of the reforms being done at Mombasa and traders gaining confidence in the port. Read more ▪ PSFU: Govt linkage gap stunting businesses THE Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has blamed the narrow government linkages with the European markets for shrinking trading opportunities for the local business community.PSFU executive director Gideon Badagawa said there is need for Uganda to enhance its competitiveness through strengthening government linkages to penetrate the global market.Addressing journalists at the PSFU offices in Nakasero recently, Badagawa said the Government should create a conducive environment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enable them access the global market.This, he added, can be done through accessing loans at a lower interest rate from government institutions and training industrial labourers.“It is easy for SMEs to access markets but entry into the global market becomes difficult due to poor enterprising standards and failure to produce quality products,” he added. Badagawa also blamed the Government for failing to pass the Investment, Counterfeit and Public Partnership Bill, thereby retarding the business sector. Read more ▪ ▪   The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has started an advocacy arm aimed at addressing health issues affecting Ugandans and also to provide the right platform for dialogue between the private health sector and the government.The arm, called the Private Sector Health Advocacy Committee (PSHAC), was launched recently during the annual general meeting of Uganda Healthcare Federation, the umbrella body for the private health sector. The Health minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, welcomed this move and emphasised the need for more public private partnerships “to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Uganda.” Read more ▪ New institute to improve oil, gas management skills With the shortage of management skills evident in the oil and gas sector, particularly among indigenous companies, an institute has been established to help plug the skills shortage. According to the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the establishment of the institute was long overdue given that the country is left with just a few years to start commercial oil production. The establishment of the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kampala will, unlike previously, afford Ugandans the opportunity to study management courses without spending millions of dollars abroad. “Our courses take into account the Ugandan context,” Mr Patrick Ruharuza, the chief executive officer of the Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPSK) told Daily Monitor in an interview last week. Read more ▪   Export - handicraft trader reaps from recycling At the expo, organised by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) under the theme, How to export to Europe, Bendicta Nanyonga, the founder and head of the Kinawataka Women Initiative (KWI), tells they penetrated into the international market, and made a name for themselves with crafts such as handbags, sports bags, belts, purses, table mats, doormats and earrings, from used straws. On their first attempt to export their products to UK, they were asked for 10,000 packages of bags, doormats, belts and others. “People outside Uganda value recycling. And if you have crafts, your market is readily available,” Nanyonga said. Amelia Kyambadde, the minister of Trade, Industry and cooperatives, agrees there are a number of challenges that need to be sorted out, ▪ |