GEN. MUSEVENI SAYS THIS MILESTON MAKES THIS COMPANY MAJOR PLAYER IN
DRINKS AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
Vice President Maj. Jessica Alupo has opened a new production plant in
Kawempe set up by a local company-Harris International. Alupo who
represented president Museveni at the function, said such a milestone
positions this company as a major actor in the drinks and beverage
industry.
Museveni in his speech she read, said that since 1986 when NRM
captured power, it has been telling Ugandans that there are two major
players in a modern economy. The General from Rwakitura named the
first group as producers who include the farmers, industrialists and
service providers whom he described as the wealth creators. He
explained that these are the ones who invest natural, human and
financial resources into the production of goods and services that
people need.
The president named the second group as the consumers who include the
market that buys the goods and services of the producers.
“If you produce a good or a service and nobody or only a few people
buy it, your enterprise collapses. Therefore, a market is important
and the bigger the market, the more the profits” Museveni said through
his bootyful Vice President.
He however, said that for such players to fully operate, there must be
what he called enablers like peace and security, good roads,
electricity, low costs of labor, favorable policies, ICT backbone and
railways in order to lower the costs of production.
“Therefore, whenever we say that the Ugandan economy had collapsed by
1986, we mean that the two players [producers and consumers] were no
longer functional and the enablers were either non-existent or the
remaining few were in a dilapidated state” he said.
He said that the first step his government took to revive Uganda’s
economy was the restoration of peace and security of persons and
property. Museveni described this as fundamental because without peace
and security, individuals and companies cannot produce goods and
services.
The president added that government also prioritised investment in
infrastructure development across the country and pursued a private
sector-led growth strategy, something he said past regimes failed to
do.
He said the private sector can easily develop the country without much
government money although he said government must work on peace and
infrastructure in order to lower the costs of doing business so that
the private sector can make profits.
“Therefore, I would like to commend Harris International for utilising
this private sector-friendly atmosphere in Uganda to create jobs and
incomes for the people of Uganda. The Ugandan economy is modernizing
and accelerating towards industrialization” he said adding that
modernity means eliminating the subsistence modes of production which
satisfy only the need for food and replacing them with commercial
agriculture, industries, services and ICT.
He said the aforementioned are the four sectors where families and
companies can select profitable enterprises to create jobs and wealth.
He congratulated this company upon commission a new production plant
and wished them success in their future work.
