President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that with the right application of science, technology and innovation to the prioritized industrialized value chains, there will be increased industrialization, commercialization, productivity and enterprise development in Uganda.
Museveni said he witnessed this through the various activities and exhibitions during the National Science Week which were spearheaded by Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation –Office of the President.
Uganda’s National science week was characterized by the National science technology and innovation exhibition during which Ugandan innovators showcased their innovations to the public at Kololo Independence Grounds and the Uganda innovation awards which were premised on celebrating Ugandans’ innovation efforts.
While presiding over the national commemoration event for the World Science Day for Peace and Development celebrations on 10th November 2021 at Kololo Air Strip, Museveni said government identified six priority industrial value chains to be the core focus for strategic intervention. These include; Pathogen Economy, Engineering, Mobility, Beauty and Apparel, Digital Economy, and Agro-Security.
He explained that the prioritization of the selected industrial value chains was informed by four key attributes based on careful consideration namely; “The need for items that will transform how our people live and do business; Uganda having competitive advantage in for example raw materials; the availability of domestic, regional, continental and global market; and the potential for growth looking at trends in market size,” he said.
Museveni believes that the prioritized value chains will be able to provide context of the potential for strategic development which will lead to export promotion of relevant goods and services. He called upon Ugandan innovators to use their innovative skills to support import substitution and export promotion through value addition to Ugandan made products.
The president stated that government has already taken definitive steps towards building a robust, competitive and sustainable mobility industrial value chain in Uganda with a goal of producing 500,000 vehicles annually by 2030 coupled with establishment of efficient, integrated, sustainable, safe and inclusive public transport systems while promoting environmentally friendly transport solutions.
“The prioritization of the mobility industrial value chain is in cognizance that it provides an unprecedented opportunity for harnessing the nation’s population dividend in promoting value addition to Uganda’s mineral and other natural resources with the view of import substitution and export promotion of vehicles, parts, components, systems and mobility engineering services,” Museveni said.
He said that government is committed to working with the private sector, academia and development partners to ensure that as many parts of the bus, trucks, pickups, SUVs, 2-3 wheelers and tractors among others are made locally by Uganda’s scientists and artisans. This is projected to create over 300 factories manufacturing 65% of the required vehicle parts locally by 2030 and employing over 100,000 people.
The pathogen economy Museveni said is developed because of the Covid19 pandemic. “We have a natural therapeutic where we have completed the clinical trial and the regulators are now examining the information which came out. We are working on four Covid-19 vaccines – although we have been delayed a lot with delays in accessing some reagents we needed, we have made progress. Despite these delays, we have still made progress,” he said.
The digitaleconomy platform will entail providing evidence-based foresight to help decision-makers navigate the intersection of public policy, societal challenges, and digital trends to cultivate shared prosperity.
“This platform will focus creating an enabling environment through facilitating progressive regulation, promoting digital literacy and skills, working with other agencies to setup the necessary physical and digital infrastructure, promoting and facilitating a fully digital government, fostering digital safety and security and promoting the development of local content,” Museveni added
As a means of growing the agro-economy, government is supporting the development of sustainable food value chains and inclusive market systems, promote business opportunities for the rural populations and strengthen markets to enhance industrial linkages and economic transformations.
