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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda and South Sudan held the first Ugandan Private Sector Forum on 20th September 2019 at Mestil Hotel in Kampala. In partnership with the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association, Federation of Uganda’s Employers and Centre for Development Initiatives the forum was held under the theme: Unpacking the private sector’s contribution to address unemployment and inclusive development. This forum was of specific value since it marked the beginning of a cooperation between KAS and the private sector umbrella bodies USSIA (Uganda Small Scale Industries Association) and FUE (Federation of Uganda Employers).

As a potential driver for the development of the nation, the Ugandan private sector has been receiving increasing attention in the political sphere. The Government’s National Strategy for Private Sector Development 2017/18 – 2021/22 (NSPSD), for instance, aims to promote “inclusive growth for sustainable development” by increasing “competitiveness of the private sector” and by enhancing “its contribution to Uganda’s sustainable economic development” (NSPSD).
Nevertheless, the private sector’s development is curbed by challenges that range from taxation, employment conditions and provision of public services to infrastructure and access to finance - the list of constraints is quite large and well-researched, yet still, its items are ranked in varying orders by different players of the economic and political landscape. Accordingly, this demonstrates the need to consult with those who are the immediate voices of the private sector. The different private sector bodies in Uganda represent hundreds of enterprises in the country and function as umbrella bodies for the vast and diverse private sector landscape. Bringing together these organizations in a forum is a vital tool to gather insights on the challenges and needs of the private sector. With consistently strong informality of the private sector, it is crucial for such a forum to engage with wide outreach which ensures accurate and meaningful representation of the employees and employers in the private sector.
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has thus reached out to different private sector bodies to join efforts by conducting the 2019 Uganda Private Sector Forum. Due to this event, a platform for stakeholders of the Government, Civil Society, Academia and the Private Sector was implemented to discuss and reflect on the challenge of inclusive development in light of the private sector being a potential contributor to provide sustainable and practical solutions. The forum further engaged interactions and establishment of connections among private sector representatives and the other participants tackling the question of strengthening the private sector. The forum was joined by German Member of Parliament, Honourable Andreas Lämmel, a member of the Christian Democratic Union and the deputy speaker of the parliamentary committee on economic affairs, chairing the working group on African affairs within the CDU party.
Read here the full report on the Ugandan Private Sector Forum.