The new Director General of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), Robert Mukiza, has promised to pursue industrialization, job creation and import substitution.
Mukiza, who formally assumed office on Thursday, July 1, 2021, following his appointment by President Museveni in May 2021, said his priorities will be aligned towards the National Development Plan III (NDP III) and UIA’s strategic plan, including operationalisation of industrial parks.
“I will, together with the team at UIA, accelerate the Government’s industrialization agenda by aggressively operationalizing our industrial parks and promoting import substitution. We shall double our efforts in attracting of investors into Uganda, in order to add value to our primary products, through fully operationalizing the One Stop Centre.”
Other priority areas include involvement in the roll-out of the parish model, in order to help the 68.9% of Ugandan households currently stuck in subsistence agriculture, to transition into value addition.
He also promised to prioritize the needs of domestic investors and Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, creating jobs and wealth for the youth through skilling them and establishing zonal industrial hubs.
Mukiza was installed on Thursday in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of State for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite and attended by the UIA Chairman, Morrison Rwakakamba.
Mukiza thanked President Museveni for appointing him to steer the investments body. Mr Mukiza replaces Mr Lawrence Byensi, who has been acting UIA director general since 2019.
Mukiza also served as the director of Hong Kong-based Acadia Energy, Head of the United Nations Coordination Unit in Botswana, Lead Economist for the United Nations in the Maldives and Researcher at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rwakakamba commended the experience of Mukiza in supporting various countries and organizations in the areas of investment promotion, industrial development and job creation.