Highlights

The IPR revealed that Uganda had the essential conditions to attract FDI, including an exemplary investment policy framework, a diversified natural resource base and a growing regional market. But tapping these opportunities would require continued public efforts to improve the microeconomic environment, hampered by inadequate transport, electricity and telecommunications facilities. The central message of this report is that Uganda needs to continue the momentum of recovery to achieve sustainable development. The IPR makes the following recommendations:

• To modernize the Investment Code and re-orient the Uganda Investment Agency firmly towards FDI promotion.
• To promote FDI into core infrastructure and services.
• To promote investment into natural-resource-based industries for the domestic, regional and international markets.
• To adopt a "big push" strategy to ensure speedy implementation of projects on the ground and to implement innovative ways of overcoming institutional and structural obstacles.

Follow-up activities

Since the IPR was published, UNCTAD has assisted the government in the following ways:

• It sensitized the President and his Cabinet on the findings of the IPR.
• It provided training to the Uganda Investment Authority on customer orientation and helped it develop a client charter.
• It advised the Uganda Investment Authority on the creation of multi-facility economic zones.
• It produced an Investment Guide to Uganda and one for the East African Community.
• It produced a Blue Book on Best Practices in Investment Promotion and Facilitation (funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation).
• It set up an entrepreneur promotion programme (Empretec).
• At the request of the government, and five years after the IPR was published, it produced a report on the extent to which the IPR´s recommendations had been implemented (to be published soon).