Failing to nurture leather industry costing Uganda
The absence of a factory to process hides and skin into leather is hindering the growth of the leather industry in Uganda, Emmanuel Mwebe, the coordinator of the Uganda leather and Allied Industries Association, has said.Mwebe said Uganda has seven medium-sized leather tanneries and several small ones, but there is no factory that processes hides and skins into final leather. The hides and skins are only processed up to wet-blue level. “Other countries make the final leather,” said Mwebe. He said this has hindered the growth of the industry and local factories are deprived of byproducts that could be put to other uses.Mwebe noted that the establishment of a factory will increase the production of leather products in Uganda and create employment for the youth. “We should not stop at making wet blue, but also go an extra mile to make the finished leather. This will also give us byproducts that will increase earnings from hides and skins,” said Mwebe. The absence of a leather factory has also fueled the importation of cheap and synthetic products. This has frustrated efforts by the footwear factories in Uganda. Mwebe said in Ethiopia, leather factories have opened up footwear shops, which has enabled the country penetrate regional markets. Read more