At a press briefing held in Naguru this morning, Thursday April 15, 2025, Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), emphasized the need for coordination, long-term planning, and smarter engagement with global markets.
“We wake up every morning thinking about three things: market shifts, exporters’ challenges, and regulatory changes,” Rwabwogo said. “If we don’t watch these carefully, we miss the signals.”
Rwabwogo highlighted the effects from the suspension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the United States, which has slapped a 10% tax on Ugandan exports. “This tax adds $1.5 to every kilo of roasted coffee. That hurts. It makes us less competitive than Colombia or Brazil,” he said. “But we aren’t folding. We’re knocking on doors in cities like Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago.”
Despite the setback, Uganda sees long-term potential in the U.S. “No industrializing country grew without access to the U.S. market, none,” Rwabwogo asserted. “If we want Google, Microsoft, Amazon to consider Uganda, we must show strength in trade.”
Time to activate Africa’s own market
He also pointed to the underutilized African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “We signed the agreement seven years ago, but hadn’t sold a single kilo under it,” he said. “That must change. Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, these are vital markets.”
He acknowledged the importance of neighbors: “45% of our value-added exports go to the region. DR Congo & Kenya, they keep our people working. We must engage with respect, not arrogance.”
Sector Revitalization
Tea, once a star export, now struggles due to poor regulation. But Rwabwogo sees promise. “Tea isn’t dead, it’s just mismanaged. We’re setting standards with the Ministry of Agriculture, animal Industry and Fisheries,” he said, noting support for smallholders through the Uganda Small Scale Tea Growers Association.
He also addressed Uganda’s fertilizer shortage: “We use less than 20% of what we need. Two factories are coming online, but delays have cost us.”
Organizing for Scale
Rwabwogo criticized Uganda’s fragmented export efforts. “Colombia, Vietnam, Brazil, they market coffee as a team. We don’t. Everyone’s on their own hill,” he said. “That must change. We need discipline and scale.”
Looking Ahead
Despite obstacles, PACEID’s target remains bold: $600 million in U.S. trade by 2035, possibly $1 billion. “AGOA or no AGOA, we stay in the market,” Rwabwogo concluded.