East African Business Week

Kampala, Uganda-The Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) in partnership with Traidlinks an Irish NGO have completed the second phase of the market linked programme for 50 Ugandan SME'S. The programme that was undertaken in 2009 saw UEPB link SME's with specific buyers in the ongoing business to business match making exercise.
Speaking at the official launch of the Marketlinked Alumni and award giving ceremony in Kampala recently, the Executive Director of UEPB, Mrs. Florence Kata said the main objective of the programme was to generate regional export market penetration for Ugandan products.
"Value addition processors need market expansion a process that is achieved through focused market research for the products," Kata explained.
Kata said that the programme conducted three sales missions in Kenya and Rwanda in 2009 and 2010 where over 30 companies are servicing orders and meeting their targets. "Exposure and one on one contact with the buyers in foreign regional markets is a deal maker which helps companies improve on the quality of their markets," she added.
Traidlinks Country Director Fiona Shera said that the initiative came from the participants of the programme as an opportunity to share knowledge and broaden the network.
"Regional integration and unity is built by such avenues where SME's from different regions share markets to expand their capacity," explained Shera. "The first group to benefit from the programme was the food and beverages sector because e Uganda is known as the regional food basket which spreads the benefits to traders and farmers."
Shera commended the participants for their aggressiveness that made them fulfill orders of about $2.7 million with in six months and expected to rise.
The Irish ambassador, Anne Webster advocated for further support of SME's in Uganda because they are world over recognized as the engines of growth.  "SME's cannot be left behind if a country is to take off in development," Webster noted.
The newly chosen patron of the Alumni and Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Mrs. Amelia Kyambadde said commended the project as a deliberate strategy to assist Ugandan SME's to fully exploit the benefits ushered in by the regional integration of the five EAC States.
"The project hand holds the exporters from identification of potential export markets to business match making until a deal is clinched," Kyambadde explained.
She urged the participants to use the networks as a spring board to expand their businesses beyond EAC and take advantage of the services available.