The Indian High Commission partnered with the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) to organize an Indian Catalogue Exhibition on the 2nd of February, 2012 at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The exhibition kicked off on time at 10.00am with catalogues of more than 70 leading Indian companies on display. The catalogues covered diverse areas such as building materials/ products, industrial machinery/ garments/ yarn/ textiles, industrial goods, printed products/materials, packaging products, pigments, dyes and chemicals, heavy electrical/high and low tension electrical porcelain and insulation ceramics, paper and paper products, fire safety products, polyester (PET) packaging straps, hand tools, pumps, etc. Others include; foundry materials, consultancy in water, power and infrastructure development, stainless steel products, synthetic blended fiber/dyed spun yarn.
Present at the exhibition were participants from both the Ugandan and Indian business communities in Uganda and the media. Brief speeches were given by the Secretary General of the UNCCI, Awel Uwihanganye; the 1st Vice President of the UNCCI, Sudeep Mohanty; the Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency S. N. Ray; and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), Hon. Amelia Kyambadde.
In his welcoming remarks, Awel Uwihanganye thanked the Indian High Commission for partnering with the Chamber by inviting and mobilizing a high profile Indian sector from the Indian economy to come and showcase their products and the opportunity to our business economy. He welcomed everyone and hoped that by the end of the day, the participants will have struck some relevant business deals.
On behalf of the UNCCI Board of Directors, Sudeep Mohanty further pledged to support and stand by Ugandan business people and the High Commission, as this is the right method.
The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda, His Excellency S. N. Ray said, “India has marched forward during a time of an economic crisis much to the admiration of the world.” He further went to add that each and every Indian product embodies the intrinsic richness and depth of Indian manufacturing: the spirit of Indian enterprise is making its presence felt across sectors.
Speaking about the exhibition, the High Commissioner said, “This is an easy and affordable way to get in touch with the qualified sellers and joint venture partners without the high cost of travelling to India, or travelling and scouting for the right company to work with. This event is specifically for Ugandan importers, distributors, retailers and exiting companies seeking new suppliers to meet prospective business partners on the other side of the globe.” He further stressed that after this event, the High Commission will conduct a study to analyze the possible businesses for all existing companies in order to help Ugandans close many business deals.
Hon. Amelia Kyambadde, who spoke on behalf of MTIC, went ahead to thank the Indian High Commissioner to Uganda as well as the UNCCI for organizing this Catalogue Exhibition that has brought together more than 70 leading companies, and further improved the existing positive relationship between Uganda and India.
She said, “Although we all know Uganda is rich in a diverse range of agricultural produce, Uganda has continued to export low value agricultural products resulting into low income for the country. There is an urgent need for affordable machinery to improve on the agricultural productivity and value addition of these products, which this exhibition can provide. This will not only increase more income for the country but also create employment for Ugandans especially the Youth.”
Hon. Kyambadde further stressed that the machinery imported to Uganda be of good quality and also easy to maintain. She advised the entrepreneurs from India to not only come in with their man power but to also train the locals because that has been a challenge: sustainability becomes close to impossible because of this lack of training.
She ended by noting, “We are indeed going to go a long way with this partnership. Even India started from scratch but it is now steadily approaching the first world.”
The successful Catalogue Exhibition organized by the Indian High Commission in partnership with the Uganda National Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) went on till the evening with many Ugandan business people of both Ugandan and Indian descent learning more on how to improve their businesses and earn more.