Government institutions advised to embrace digitalisation to reduce costs

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, has advised government institutions to go digital to reduce costs when it comes to their day to day activities.

The remarks were made during the Uganda Revenue Authority(URA) e-bomba ya business summit under the theme: "Trade and Investment Opportunities in Uganda."

The permanent secretary in the ministry of Trade, Geraldine Ssali said this will help the country to realise its development agenda.

"Government institutions should embrace digitalisation to reduce costs when it comes to their day to day activities. I am happy that most of the organisations are going digital. The moment we make it very easy for the movement of money and other transactions, we are actually making it easy for the business community to operate and therefore the collection of taxes," Ssali said.

She noted that Uganda spends over $ 400 million on steel imports, adding that local steel manufacturers  should be facilitated by the government because they have all the materials to manufacture steel which will be consumed by the local industries.

"Kenyans are given grants to produce specifically for the American market. This is where all East African countries need to go. We need to target specific markets outside the continent. Import substitution is important because you are reducing the cost of transporting all those goods and services that you are bringing into the country, ”she said.

Experts said Ugandans should ensure that they utilise the local resources.

"We are trying to promote production capacity in Uganda so that we can consume what we produce and also export to other countries. Whether its import or export the clearing function is still needed," said Frank Muramura, the managing director Jofra International Forwarders Limited.