National Trade Policy

In order to generate and distribute incomes and contribute to poverty eradication, the government of Uganda has developed the national trade policy in 2007. It is sectorial policy which aims to transform Uganda into a dynamic and competitive economy in which the trade sector stimulates the productive sectors; and to trade the country out of poverty, into wealth and prosperity.
The overall mission of the policy is to develop and nurture private sector competitiveness, and to support the productive sectors of the economy to trade at both domestic and international levels, with the ultimate objective of creating wealth, employment, enhancing social welfare and transforming Uganda from a poor peasant society into a modern and prosperous society.
To achieve the vision and policy objective of this Policy, Government shall: (i) implement the re-organization and reform of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry in line with its new functions as spelt out in this Policy and the Functional Analysis of the Ministry, (ii) strengthen the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Affiliated Institutions, and the District Commercial Offices; and create a closer link between the Ministry and the District Commercial Offices, (iii) provide adequate resources, both financial and human, to facilitate trade development activities right from the grassroots, (iv) provide resources for participation in activities that are aimed at securing improved and predictable market access for Uganda’s products and services, (v) develop and fund a Trade Sector Development Plan to guide the implementation and monitoring of the National Trade Policy, (vi) review and strengthen commercial and/or trade laws, as well as complementary laws and policies, (vii) formulate and implement policies and strategies that are complementary to trade policy, (vii) formulate and implement policies and strategies that are complementary to trade policy, (ix) institutionalize and strengthen the Public-Private Sector Partnership in the formulation and implementation of the trade policy and trade development strategies and programmes, (x) clarify and consolidate the relationship between the productive sectors on one hand and the trade sector on the other, ( xi) work with the private sector to strengthen private sector apex associations.
To enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food system, developing international trade, using a vibrant domestic production and trade sub-sector as a springboard is an important component of this Policy. The overriding objective of Government policy on international trade is to ensure effective integration of the economy into the regional economy and the multilateral trading system, enhancing national capacity to take advantage of the above, while minimizing the negative effects of globalization. In addition, the Government policy actions in the international trade sub-sector shall aim at: (1) ensuring that the sub-sector effectively and efficiently complements the domestic trade and production sub-sectors, (2) ensuring that what is produced domestically can be competitively traded at international level, (3) using trade negotiations to influence policies and practices of the country’s trading partners’ so that they are conducive to the development of Uganda and (4) adapting Uganda’s economy to the trade and trade-related policies and practices of the country’s trading partners. Finally, the identification and exploitation of trade policy synergies and complementarities is an integral component of the National Trade Policy. Government will be guided by the objective of optimal exploitation of policy synergies, with the major focus on the forward and backward linkages between domestic trade, international trade, production policies and infrastructure/transport policies. Government will further ensure that support and complementary policies that have linkage to trade are taken into consideration during the implementation of this policy.
In the context of governance, the implementation of the National Trade Policy shall be the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry. The Ministry shall collaborate with relevant Ministries (such as Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Health; Education and Sports; Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Water and Environment; Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Information and Communication Technology; Works and Communications; Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries; and Foreign Affairs), Government Agencies, and the Private Sector. The Ministry shall work closely with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and the National Planning Authority to ensure the integration of trade and trade-related issues in the National Development Frameworks and development plans. A National Trade Sector Development Plan (NTSDP) will be developed to guide implementation of this Policy. The Ministry will also regularly interact with the academia and relevant civil society organizations.