Category «Business»

Counterfeits Law to be fast tracked

Government is asking partner states in the East African Community to enact legislation on counterfeit products if the vice is to be checked. Uganda is in the final stages of amending the Anti-counterfeits law while Kenya is the only country within the community with strong legislation on sub-standard products. The new law is expected to protect both manufacturers and consumers from these counterfeits that are traded domestically, regionally and internationally. The minister of trade and industry Amelia Kyambadde says, the passing of the law has been delayed by wide consultations being conducted to ensure its effectiveness. Kyambadde says the passing of the law will be fast tracked to make the business environment more conducive.

Dr. Terry Kahuma suspended

Government has suspended the Executive Director Uganda National bureau of Standards Dr. Terry Kahuma over allegations of mismanagement. A statement issued by the ministry of Trade, industry and cooperatives says the suspension takes immediate effect to allow investigations to take place. The statement further, stipulates that Dr. Terry Kahuma will be allowed to defend himself on the allegations of alleged failure to manage the institution. Dr. Ben Manyindo has been appointed by the ministry of trade take over as the acting Executive director as the investigations take place.

Ivory worth Shs 1billion recovered

Uganda Revenue Authority has today handed over ivory worth 1 billion shillings to the Uganda Wild life Authority. The 176 pieces of ivory were recovered together 189 pieces of hippo teeth and monitor lizards, worth 400 million shillings. The animal products were intercepted from traders who attempted to export them illegally. The URA Assistant Commissioner in charge of enforcement James Kisare says the move is aimed at reducing poaching and illegal exportation of wild life products. Kisare noted that many hippos and elephants have lost their lives to such illegal trade, leaving a negative mark on the country’s tourism sector. A senior warden prosecutor with the Uganda Wildlife Authority Vincent Opinyi says they have partnered with URA to check illegal …

Tourism marketing poor

Players in the tourism industry have criticized government over its reluctance to offer financial support to the sector over the years. Uganda has since last year been ranked among the top tourist destinations in the world, with the latest rankings from lonely planet selecting Uganda as the top tourism destination for 2012. Speaking on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Tourism Week today, the President of the Uganda Tourism Association, John Wekesa notes that there is no political will from government and Parliament to promote the sector that brings in more than 20% of the national budget. Wekesa says Parliament should focus on increasing budgetary allocations to the sector in the next financial year.

Simcard Registration: Is it Big Brother at work?

A common complaint foreign investors make about Uganda is the time it takes to register a business. We have 16 procedures for registering a new business, Tanzania 12, Kenya 11, while Rwanda has only two. Not so for joining a mobile phone network. At the moment all you need is to buy a phone, the SIM card of the network you wish to join and voila, you’re connected. No paperwork, bribes, or waiting periods pending approval. This is set to change. Starting March 1, all telecom operators—MTN, Warid, Airtel, uganda telecom, Smile, et al— will commence registering SIM cards and the details of their owners following a directive by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology released on December 12, …