Kampala — Uganda businesspeople have been invited to invest in Burundi to benefit more from of the East African Community common market, writes Mark Owor.

"I am calling upon Ugandan traders to come to Burundi and form joint ventures with our businesspeople instead of going to China because we have a lot of untapped business potential," the country's second vice-president, Gabriel Ntisezerana, stated.

Ntisezerana was opening a two-day international trade facilitation expo for the small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), which was organised by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

Gaggawala Wambuzi, the trade minister, said the Government was committed to regional integration, and would facilitate SMEs and the informal sector to benefit from the enlarged market.

He advised the business community to improve on product quality to compete favourably in the common market. Wambuzi added that the traders should use the expo to prepare for the EAC and global markets.

Gideon Badagawa, the private sector Foundation Uganda boss, said the expo would equip 1,000 exporters and importers with information on the available trade facilitation services.