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Invest in Competitiveness and Synergy-Hon. Mukhisa Kituyi
Hon. Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi The Kenyan Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, pointed out that if East African countries are to survive the rapid unstoppable dynamism of liberalization and its adverse consequences, they must invest in competitiveness and synergies that go beyond individual countries. He was the Guest Speaker at a Business Luncheon hosted by Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, August 19, 2003. Dr. Kituyi revealed that the threat posed by a dynamic free market economy where barriers to international trade are now being broken such as the removal of quotas for some countries to export to Europe and America and driven by individual business interests of multinational companies and the developed world was so real that no government in Africa would stop its momentum. Hon. Kituyi pointed out that the threats include the proposed government procurement rules at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that would force governments in developing countries to open up their procurement processes to international bidding thereby endangering the local bidders who might not necessarily have the finances and capacity to take up big contracts at low rates. He revealed that although Uganda has been given free market access to the European market to export anything but arms, what is not being said is that quotas are being removed and tariffs reduced for those countries more developed than Uganda or Kenya to an extent that a country such as China will be in a position to flood the world market with its textiles that are produced at the lowest cost in the world. “This means that we won’t be able to compete!”
Dr. Kituyi observed. The Minister said time had come for entrepreneurs
in East Africa and Africa as a whole to prepare for constructive
competitiveness by creating sufficient dynamism to negotiate for
better trading terms internationally, have the sense of purpose
of what the region can achieve, and to build up a momentum for the
entrepreneurs to drive the economy Commenting on the partnership between Kenya and Uganda, the Kenyan Minister of Trade and Industry said his government appreciates the business partnership and considers Uganda to be Kenya’s most important and valuable trading partner in the world. He observed that politics in the region would make sense only if it makes synergies with business; thus the need for entrepreneurs to define the political configuration that suits their work environment. The Ugandan Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Hon.Richard Nduhuura commended the Kenyan Minister for his visit saying it was in the spirit of regional cooperation. He thanked the President of UNCCI, Mrs. Olive Kigongo and the Chamber for successfully organizing the visit. Mrs. Olive Kigongo pointed out that the business luncheon was one of the activities that the Chamber will continue to organize as a way of giving back to their corporate members, by according them an opportunity to meet and share views and ideas on key business issues in Uganda and the East African region.
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