President Yoweri Museveni has today commissioned 5 new factories based at Mbalala in Mukono District with an observation that business means talking about a product, a market for that product that has been rolled out using cheap infrastructure.
He added that among these business parameters is also an element of peace and Uganda happens to have all these.
The President made the remark today at the commissioning ceremonies of five different factories in Mbalala Industrial Park in Mukono district that included Royikem Industries Limited that manufactures of Rose Foam mattresses, spring mattresses, disposable plastics, which in a near future will also start manufacturing motor cycles locally herein the country.
Royikem Industries limited belongs to a local investor Zikusooka Robert.
Me. Museveni noted that visiting eight factories; a factoriy with thensitic material for making sandles that will later make footwear out of leather, blankets, rubber tyres, iron ores smelting, foam mattresses, recycling plastics, lubricant oils is real business.
He said that once the the low cost on electricity is reduced to five cents, transport is reduced by building a railway from Mombasa and have a low cost on raw materials it will reduce the cost of production hence the ncrease of wage.
On the issue of high taxes in the region, the President said he will discuss the matter with other counterparts in EA saying that it’s part of EA treaty.
He advised the local district administration to construct drainage channels to address the problem of area facing floods in rainy days.
The Minister of State for Investment Everylin Anite commended the President’s efforts for championing on the cause for job creation especially among the youth with the adverse of industrialization policy.
The Chinese ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang said that establishing the various factories in Uganda by different Chinese companies cements a strong relationship, development and more bilateral ties between China-Africa communities and have more initiatives, which he said Uganda has effectively seen these opportunities. “We shall have more support in these initiatives for the two sister countries”, he said.
The proprietor Zikusooka Robert told the President that the factory is on a three acre of land manufactures 484,000 pieces of mattresses monthly and has the market outreach in the whole country and the entire East African region.
It also employees about 600 local people. “In the next three years, Royikem Industries Limited will be one of the leading brands in the countr”, the Director of Board of Directors Nyanzi Ronnie said adding that however, the factory still faces challenges of unstable power supply and exemption on income tax as a local investment of the company.
While inaugurating Landy Industries Limited, that engaged in the manufacturing of footwear, the MD Hi Yong Ling told the President that the factory offers employment opportunities to 600 Ugandans and produces 20000 pieces of footwear per day.
At Sino Textiles industries Co. Limited, during the commissioning ceremony, the representative of the factory Li Yuhua who also guided the President during the inspection of the factory said that proprietors from China have a joint venture with the local Ugandan investors in partnership to manufacture products that include blankets.
On commissioning C.C.C.E Rubber Co. Limited, the MD Chen Fan thanked the President for allowing their company to invest in Uganda and reinforcing security in the country for protection of the Chinese investors.
This rubber products manufacturing company makes 2.4 million litres of engine oil, 10,000 motor cycle tyres and thirty tubes respectively on Daily basis.
In his remarks, the MD of the giant Chinese company Tian Tang Paul Zhang told the President that “Support to commission the five factories today creates more love for the Chinese investors to invest more in the country.”
He added that as a sign of commitment by Chinese companies, Tian Tang industries Co. Limited that manufactures iron bars, fibres, foam, plywood, iron sheets, metallic pipes has donated some of its products like shoes, mattresses to the local communities of Mukono district. Mukono district apparently has about fifty different factories in the offing in addition those that have been commissioned today and have offered employment opportunities to about 50,000 people.
