Uganda has commissioned its 60th factory at Sino Park in Mbale, with Minister for Local Government Balaam Ateenyi describing the investment as a major step towards transforming the country from a raw material exporter into a manufacturing hub.
Ateenyi said he commissioned the new facility on Thursday morning, congratulating Chairman Jiyongling of Yangtze Industry Ltd, Mbale Park Chairman Paul Jang and the wider team for attracting investment, technology and employment opportunities to Uganda.
The minister said the factory is significant because it is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa to manufacture silicon and glue products.
He said the development aligns with the government's efforts to promote value addition by encouraging investors to establish production facilities locally instead of exporting raw materials without processing.
“This is exactly the direction we want Uganda to take,” Ateenyi said, highlighting the importance of manufacturing finished products for both domestic consumption and export markets.
According to the minister, the new factory is expected to create employment opportunities for young Ugandans while opening markets for local entrepreneurs and farmers. He also said the investment would contribute to skills development and strengthen Uganda's economic growth.
Ateenyi thanked investors for choosing Uganda, describing the country as peaceful, secure and increasingly industrialised. He attributed the favourable investment environment partly to the stability maintained under President Yoweri Museveni's administration.
He assured investors that the government would continue strengthening security while creating conditions that allow businesses to establish and expand their operations with confidence.
The minister also pointed to ongoing government investment in infrastructure, including electricity, roads and railway networks. He said improved infrastructure would help reduce the cost of doing business while connecting Ugandan industries to markets across East Africa and other regional destinations.
Ateenyi used the occasion to invite more international investors to Uganda, urging them to establish manufacturing plants, create employment and participate in the country's industrialisation programme.
He also challenged young Ugandans to prepare for the opportunities created by the expanding manufacturing sector.
He urged them to acquire relevant skills, embrace technology and position themselves to benefit from new jobs and training opportunities emerging as more factories are established.
The commissioning of the facility adds to Uganda's growing industrial base, particularly in Mbale, where the government has been promoting industrial parks as centres for investment, manufacturing and employment.
Ateenyi said the latest investment demonstrated the potential of industrialisation to create wider economic opportunities and support Uganda's transition towards greater domestic value addition and manufactured exports.