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UNDERSTANDING ENTRY BARRIERS TO INVESTMENT INTO FREE ZONES IN UGANDA

Participants at the Research Dissemination Workshop in Kampala

Uganda Free Zones Authority (UFZA) held a Research Dissemination workshop for two Research papers on “Entry Barriers to Investment into Free Zones in Uganda: What needs to Change?” and “Opportunities and Constraints for Free Zones in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): A Case for Uganda”.

The Workshop took place in Kampala and brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, and development partners. The main objectives of the workshop were to: disseminate the results of the study; discuss the findings against the wider issues, challenges, and opportunities in Uganda’s Trade and Investment sector; and formulate policy recommendations/options for promoting and strengthening the sector for export-oriented investment.

The participants called for the amendment of the Free Zones Act, 2014 to strike a balance and have 50 percent produced for export and 50 percent for local consumption.

They argued that the current provision of 80/20 threshold on exports is not inclusive especially for the domestic investors who are targeting to sell at least in the regional markets.