The Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) revealed that the current sovereignty bill that is under discussion may affect Uganda’s export targets if not properly scrutinised by the stakeholders.
According to Odrek Rwabwogo, the Chairman of Uganda’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development, if the bill undermines the gains of democracy, it must be struck. In addition, he also emphasised freedom in an economy to attract investments.
He made the remarks while addressing airport security personnel on building good hospitality for airport guests to boost the country’s image globally.
Themed; “Advancing Service Standards, Promoting Uganda’s Image,” the training aimed to equip the security personnel with good public relations skills to promote Uganda for tourism and other related investments.
In attendance were the airport security and other staff, training on the country’s reputation of visiting Uganda through the international gateway, Entebbe International Airport.
Entebbe airport has in the past been tainted as corrupt and brutal, with cases of unprofessionalism registered, which continue to damage the country’s reputation.
The Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development says that these tendencies portray Uganda as underdeveloped and cause some investors and tourists to reconsider their decisions.
Uganda, through its international export market targets USD 6 billion by 2028, according to PACEID, but this depends on how attractive the country is to investors and visitors.
Rwabwogo, emphasized that the current sovereign bill under contention could become an obstacle to Uganda’s global standing if not properly scrutinized regarding the country’s exports and encouraged the public to debate it widely and focus on it in areas where it undermines gains in economy and democracy.
“We have to strike those down because we have experience that more freedom in economy is more investment. So where there are problems, we should deal with them, but we should not denounce a bill that says government has intelligence, information experience over time that there is an attempt to influence the integrity, the dignity of our processes over time, whether financial or democracy,” he noted.
Rwabwogo further said, “We should not hide the ideas coming from government, but we shouldn’t just take them because they have come from government. We must arrive at a middle ground that allows us to keep growing without putting restrictions on trade. I am more worried about any restriction on capital because it is so fragile.”
According to Harriet Bantu, the Customs Supervisor at Entebbe International Airport, the training was very insightful, strategic orientation, mainly for the front officers since they encounter and interact with such international passengers.
“We were helped in line with customer care, how best to handle whenever these people arrive, how should we facilitate them? Because they have different objectives, some come for trade, while others come for tourism, among others. Since we are the first people they meet, we were skilled in how to receive them? What’s that approach that we can give them? What’s the message that we can share because we represent our country at large,” she noted.
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