The first day of the Uganda Investment Symposium underway at Kakyeka playground, Mbarara City has left participants wanting more.
Presentations from Operation Wealth Creation coordinator Gen Caleb Akandwanaho (Salim Saleh) who is the day’s chief guest, and Mrs. Patricia Ojangole managing director Uganda Development Bank and Trade ministry’s permanent secretary Geraldine Sali, and Mbarara North MP Robert Rukaari Mwesigwa guided attendees on how to link business to finance, as well as various financing, processing and marketing opportunities in the country.
Codenamed “Rebranding Ankore”, the symposium organised under the auspices of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and Uganda Development Bank (UDB), the event has attracted thousands of trade goers, youths from greater Ankore region entrepreneurs.
Manufacturers told this reporter that they are using the opportunity to showcase their products and increase their sales in the near future.
Dr. Edward Kazire of Kazire Health Products tells me that he is grateful because this has been one of the rare and favourable partnerships they have ever had, where industry, university, business community, Operation Wealth creation and Uganda Development Bank (UDB) are coming together to make sure that there is integration of information and to know where one needs the other.
MP for Mbarara North City, Dr Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari one of the key organisers says the symposium will revolutionise Agriculture, Manufacturing and tourism sectors in greater Ankore.
He added that the government greatly invests in such symposiums to raise public awareness of what is vital for fighting poverty and societal transformation.
Gen Salim Saleh told the full house attendees that in empowering processing and marketing plus research will boost productivity and lead to the greater transformation of the region.
He challenged Ankore leaders to expeditiously participate in marketing and creating awareness of their products to enhance the productivity of their people.
Ms. Samantha, an employee of GBK Diary Products located along Kabale road in Mbarara said her company deals in classic milk, yoghurts of vanilla and strawberry flavours plus mineral water.
“As a business, the most important thing is making yourself known to the world. This is a symposium where very many people are going to come here, different companies are going to come here, and is going to help us get awareness in public,” she said.
“As an agency, we have to showcase what we have in stock, what we have for farmers and stakeholders, and as you see, we have exhibited all the things that we do, from seedlings, up to when coffee is in the cup,” South Western regional manager for Uganda Coffee Development Authority Mr. Asiimwe Moses said.
While Timothy Specht, the president of the Harvest Trading Company in Mbarara that deals in growing vanilla and others products such as Matooke said their major aim of taking part in the ceremony is to interact with various farmers, share ideas and their challenges, such that they are taught ways of mitigating these hardships, and better methods of harvesting.
Katumba James of “Katali Kankiiza Limited”, a yoghurt producing company located in Kakoba Mbarara explained that he is meeting various clients, who will taste his products and recommend improvements, to perfect his products.
With many traders, manufacturers and agriculturalists showcasing their products and interacting with clients, the symposium is so far taking a right trajectory, and today’s session will close at around 1900 hours.
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