Tayebwa Urges Reliable Power, Patient Capital and Fair Standards to Boost Local Industry

What the report says

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has called on government, regulators and the private sector to address three major constraints facing Ugandan manufacturers: unreliable electricity, costly long-term financing and uneven enforcement of standards. He made the remarks at the 7th Biannual Private Sector CEOs Retreat at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre in Entebbe, where he met business leaders to discuss obstacles affecting local enterprises.

According to Nile Post, Tayebwa said frequent power interruptions raise production costs and weaken the competitiveness of factories, citing the example of a cement producer that reportedly faced extended weekly load shedding. He urged authorities to act on President Yoweri Museveni’s directive for affordable, dependable power for manufacturers. He also questioned whether lenders offering high-interest loans can fairly describe them as patient capital, arguing that genuine support should give businesses longer repayment periods and space for investments to mature.

Tayebwa further said standards and certification rules should protect local producers without putting them at a disadvantage against imported goods. He asked the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to apply enforcement evenly to both domestic and imported products. He also encouraged businesses to adopt digitisation and automation, and to stay compliant with tax obligations. The retreat, he said, remains an important forum for practical dialogue as Uganda seeks more investment in manufacturing and broader industrial growth.