A recruitment process to fill vacant positions at four top organisations has started after their executives either retired or were transferred to other offices.
The private sector is grappling with a harsh business environment dotted with high power tariffs and the general slowdown of the economy.
The persons who will take up the three positions are expected to have lasting impact on reviving business buoyance in the economy. ALI TWAHA looks at issues that await whoever takes up any of these positions.
Uganda Manufacturers Association
Former executive director Mustapha Ssebagala Kigozi left UMA for the Electoral Commission when manufacturers are seething with a host of issues, including high power tariffs.
Last year, manufacturers petitioned President Museveni during a mining conference over excessive taxes. The new executive director is expected to lobby government to address tax issues affecting manufacturers.
Electricity Regulatory Authority
Dr Benon Mutambi left ERA, the electricity sector regulator, for a permanent secretary role at the ministry of internal affairs at a time when the issue of high power costs remain thorny.
During his reign at ERA, he showed unwavering authority, making sure sector players didn’t make up numbers just to drive up tariff for higher profit.
In January, ERA raised the annual base power tariff by 9.2 per cent. According to Gideon Badagawa, the executive director at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, there is need for policies to push for affordable power across the board.
“We used to have only 240MW generated but now we are generating 850MW. However, we are only using 600MW. As private sector, what we want
to see is a debate on how we can push for affordable power,” Badagawa said.
Whoever takes over ERA is expected to look deeply into the costs suggested by players like power distributor Umeme and Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd to see that they are not exaggerated to push up the tariff.
Uganda Investment Authority
According to the World Bank’s forecast for 2017, Uganda’s doing business ranking will improve from its current 122nd position in 2016 to about 115th.
This might not be achieved if wrangles between the Uganda Investment Authority and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) are not amicably settled. The disagreement comes from the joint funding initiative to establish the online one-stop center solution.
The service links at least seven government entities related to business formalization and registrations. Both the acting executive director at UIA, Lawrence Byensi, and officials at the URSB are already trading insults over which entity has the mandate to manage the One-stop centres.
Frank Sebbowa concluded his four-year tenure as the executive director at UIA after he clocked the retirement age of 60. Solving such a stand-off quickly must be on the in-coming director’s first to-do list.
Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Electing a president for the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry remains a tall order after numerous attempts to hold elections were blocked.
A bitter row between the current president, Olive Kigongo, and another contender, Andrew Rugasira, left some stains on the image of the body. There is still hope that the elections might be held at some point this year.
UNCCI remains the oldest nationwide umbrella organization for the private sector in Uganda. The body says its main role is to protect the interests of the private sector.
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