It was a public secret that Jinja town was the industrial hub of East Africa. Over time, the Eastern Uganda town lost its status and several factors were responsible for this. After watching the rate at which Jinja’s factories were closing down, the government embarked on a strategy to revive this lost glory. While officiating at the Africa Industrialization Day, the Minister of Trade, Industries, and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde said that the government had ear marked 50 acres of land in Mutayi Jinja district to be used as the Industrial Park. Kyambadde said that this land was to be given to eight mega industries to set up their manufacturing plants and by doing so the government would be on the course to revive the lost glory of Jinja. “But now they have learned and we are going to develop it, the government is going to start by putting up utilities like water, energy and then we start construction. At least Jinja, you can see that our focus is on re-industrialize Jinja. Jinja was an industrial town and I think this is where the future is as far as industrialization is concerned.”

Minister Kyambadde, however, encouraged Ugandan investors to always register with Uganda Investment Authority in order to benefit from the incentives given to foreign investors. “I would appeal to Ugandan investors also to register under the Uganda Investment Authority. There has been a challenge that most Ugandans don’t want to register with UIA because once you go through the UIA, those are the ones who have the Act; the investment code who then enforce the investment code which enables you to benefit from the incentives. Everybody is entitled to incentives be it an indigenous Ugandan, be it, foreign investor, it is not only foreigners. It is true in the past, there was that inclination on foreign investors but we have changed the investment code, we have amended it to suit even the indigenous.” Said, Amelia Kyambadde – Trade Minister.

The announcement came after many residents had lost hope of ever seeing their once booming town gain her past glory. “All things have shifted from Jinja to Kampala even efforts from us the leaders of the area to try to pursue the government to recognize Jinja in many ways, the government has paid a deaf ear.” Meanwhile, the Minister for Cooperatives Fredrick Ngobi Gume rallied Ugandans to embrace cooperatives as they were to tap the foods industrialization since through cooperatives there would be ready material to feed the industries. “In case we look at industrialization, we must look at the supply side.”