Trade minister Tanna pledges support for small businesses with bankable ideas

What the report says

Nile Post reported that newly appointed Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Sanjay Tanna has promised government support for entrepreneurs whose business proposals are viable and investment-ready. Speaking at a regional thanksgiving and business symposium organised by the NRM Entrepreneurs League at Mbale Senior Secondary School grounds, Tanna said the ministry intends to help small and medium enterprises become stronger, more competitive businesses.

According to the report, the event brought together entrepreneurs, business leaders and Members of Parliament from Eastern Uganda and was also held to mark Tanna’s appointment. The minister said SMEs are central to job creation and Uganda’s wider economic transformation, and he pointed to the Uganda Development Corporation as one institution through which promising enterprises could receive support.

Tanna encouraged business owners to focus on value addition rather than exporting raw materials, especially in agriculture. Nile Post said he cited opportunities in coffee, honey, shea butter, cocoa butter and avocado oil, noting demand for processed natural products in foreign markets, including cosmetics-related value chains. He also linked the ministry’s priorities to the government’s Tenfold Growth Strategy under the National Development Plan IV, with agro-processing among the key areas of emphasis.

The minister also identified tourism, mining, science, technology, innovation, manufacturing and digital businesses as sectors that could help expand employment and investment, particularly in Eastern Uganda. Nile Post reported that Tanna later opened a new commercial building owned by Mbale businessman Richard Malaya, proprietor of Abra Supermarkets, presenting it as an example of local enterprise growth in the region.