Uganda seeks World Trade Organization support for 10-fold growth plan

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, has pitched the country’s ambitious 10-fold growth strategy to the World Trade Organization.

Ggoobi led a delegation to the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where he met with Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen. He highlighted the importance of trade and development for Uganda and other Least Developed Countries.

The 10-fold growth strategy aims to transform Uganda’s economy through science, technology, innovation, and communication. It focuses on four key growth areas: agro-processing, tourism, mineral resource development, and science and technology transfer and creative economies.

During the meeting, Ggoobi expressed gratitude for the WTO’s continuous support to Uganda, particularly through the Aid for Trade Initiative and the Enhanced Integrated Framework. He noted that Uganda had received $6.9 million in funding support for various projects.

Ggoobi briefed Zhang on Uganda’s progress in implementing the 10-fold growth strategy, which is expected to surpass 10% GDP growth in the initial years. He highlighted the country’s efforts to improve its business environment, invest in infrastructure, and promote tourism.

The WTO Deputy Director-General applauded Uganda’s efforts to achieve its development goals through digital transformation and its ambitious 10-fold growth strategy. He emphasized the importance of e-commerce and digital transformation in achieving exponential growth, citing China’s reliance on creativity and digitalization as an example.

Uganda’s 10-fold growth strategy is part of the country’s broader development plan, which aims to achieve middle-income status by 2040.