Members of parliament have asked the government to invest more in industrial parks to drive economic growth and create jobs.
The call was made on March 30, 2026, during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on finance, planning and economic development. The committee was reviewing the Uganda Investment Authority’s ministerial policy statement for the 2026/27 financial year, presented by Director General Robert Mukiza.
Committee chairperson Amos Kankunda said the authority is making progress in driving industrialisation. He pointed to an increase in foreign direct investment to 3.5 billion dollars from 2.99 billion dollars. He also cited progress on the 4.5-billion-dollar oil refinery project.
“We thank the Uganda Investment Authority’s efforts in driving Uganda’s industrialisation as envisioned by President Yoweri Museveni. We are seeing real outcomes, value addition, products, job creation, and increasing market access for Ugandan products,” Kankunda said.
He added that import substitution is improving, noting that Uganda now produces most of its ceramic tiles locally. He urged the government to allocate more resources to expand industrial parks.
Amolatar Woman MP Agnes Atim Apea said the authority is on the right path and should extend industrialisation efforts across the country. She said parliament will support the initiative.
Buyanja East MP Emely Kugonza said many goods in supermarkets are now made in Uganda, with most coming from industrial parks. She said investors need well-serviced parks and called for more funding.
Sheema Municipality MP Dickson Kateshumbwa said visits to parks such as Namanve, Mbale and Kapeeka show clear progress. He urged government to prioritise investment in industrial parks to boost value addition and employment.
State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi said industrial parks are central to Uganda’s plan to grow the economy to 500 billion dollars by 2040. He said the 2026/27 budget will prioritise infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity in key parks including Namanve, Kapeeka, Mbale, Buikwe and Kasese.
Mukiza said the authority has reduced the cost of doing business by cutting timelines for key services. Investment licensing now takes 24 hours, while company registration takes four hours. Work permits are processed in two days.
He said by June 30, 2025, the authority had supported 191 investment projects worth 1.2 billion dollars, creating 26,782 jobs. Industrial parks have created over 162,000 direct jobs, with 10 parks currently operational.
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