Uganda: Rwabwogo Pushes Value Addition As Key to Fighting Poverty

Presidential Advisor on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), Odrek Rwabwogo, has urged Uganda to reduce its reliance on raw material exports and embrace value addition as a strategy for job creation, higher export earnings, and poverty eradication.

Speaking through PACEID Markets Director Brenda Katarikawe Opus at the UK-Uganda Agro-Industrialization Forum on August 27, 2025, at Serena Resort, Rwabwogo said stronger trade ties with the United Kingdom were critical to expanding Uganda's access to international markets.

"Uganda is at war, just like Britain was during World War II--except our war is against poverty caused by low-value agriculture," Rwabwogo said.

"We cannot win this war unless we combine efforts at all levels of production--from the farm to processing, packaging, branding, and distribution."

He outlined three urgent priorities: conducting smarter market research to align Ugandan produce with consumer demand in London's Smithfield, Covent Garden, and Spitalfields markets; strengthening food safety through a new Food Safety Authority; and cutting logistics costs by investing in sea freight to complement Uganda Airlines' direct flights to London.

Uganda has already established a central aggregation hub at Entebbe Airport's free zone to streamline exports and appointed a Trade Representative in London, supported by a new trade office in Haggerston.

Rwabwogo appealed for UK assistance in providing laboratories and modern equipment, warning that stringent standards should not become disguised trade barriers.

"If we can already deliver fruits and vegetables in high-quality paper packaging, please don't ask us for glass jars yet," he said.

"This is not about lowering standards; it is about allowing Uganda to grow its capacity organically."

Beyond exports, Rwabwogo stressed that agro-industrialization is central to Uganda's rural transformation and national development.

He warned that shipping raw produce without processing undermines the country's economic potential, and proposed a three-tier strategy: improving raw material quality, investing in technology and logistics, and building strong brands for global markets.

He added that these reforms would boost farmer incomes, strengthen local firms, and bring Uganda closer to its target of creating one million jobs by 2030.

Read the original article on Nile Post.