KAMPALA – The Consulate of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa in collaboration with the High Commission of the Republic of Uganda in Nairobi will hold the 3rd Trade and Business Facilitation Symposium in Mombasa from August 12-14.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alfred Nnam, informed the Members of the Press at Uganda Media Centre (UMC) that the main objective of this Symposium is to at bring together stakeholders in trade along the Northern and Central Corridor that covers the Republic of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Amb. Katureebe Tayebwa, Uganda’s Consul General in Mombasa informed that the Symposium will take place under the theme “Enhancing Trade Facilitation along the Northern Corridor.”
“This symposium will bring together different stakeholders to discuss and exchange views as well as provide an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to seamless movement of goods along the Northern and Central Corridor,”’ he said.
According to Katureebe, the 3rd Trade and Business Facilitation Symposium (TBFS) is a follow up of two other symposiums held in 2017 and 2018 organized by the Uganda Consulate in Guangzhou.
“The main purpose of these annual symposiums is to provide a platform for Government Officials and Stakeholders involved in the import and export business value chain, to exchange views on existing and emerging challenges, as well as formulate proposals and strategies in charting a way forward,” said Katureebe.
He revealed that the latest statistics from Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) indicate that Uganda is ranked the leading user of the Port of Mombasa in terms of transit cargo which covers about 82% of all imports and exports.
“Uganda is fully committed in ensuring that doing business along the Northern Corridor is smooth, faster and secure,” he said.
Katureebe further noted that to achieve this, the Consulate engages a number of stakeholders, conducts workshops with both the business community in Uganda and Mombasa to ensure that emerging challenges are promptly addressed.
He said that targeted participants will be drawn from Uganda’s Private Sector, Officials from revelant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) in the Region and Development Partners.
Katureebe called for participation in this Symposium reiterating that this will be for general benefit of all Ugandans.
