Emyooga beneficiaries involved in value addition in the Lango and Acholi subregions have urged Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), and the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) to organize more compliance sensitization meetings in their communities, citing a significant knowledge gap regarding regulatory compliance.
The plea was made during a stakeholder engagement organized by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) in Lira City, aimed at strengthening Emyooga SACCOs through capacity building, product certification awareness, and tax compliance education.
The event brought together representatives from URA, UNBS, URSB, and local entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the Emyooga program a presidential initiative aimed at supporting specialized enterprise groups across the country.
Initially, many participants voiced frustrations and concerns, particularly about the enforcement practices of URA and the certification requirements of UNBS. However, after engaging with the officials during the training, their perspectives shifted.
Julie Ndaru, a member of the Arua Central Market Vendors Emyooga SACCO, which specializes in honey production, noted that they had always believed the push for formalization was merely a tactic to make doing business more difficult.
“We thought these agencies were just out to make business harder for us. But after this session, we’ve realized the real problem is the lack of information and understanding about what compliance actually means and how it benefits us.”
Ms. Ndaru emphasized the need for increased educational engagements, pointing out a significant gap in public awareness. She noted that continuous education by authorities could transform public perception and encourage greater compliance.
“These refresher courses are very beneficial, and we need more of them because many people lack basic knowledge about taxes. People are avoiding tax obligations, but we've come to understand that paying taxes is essential for our country's development,” she explained.
She also expressed appreciation to the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) for creating a platform that allows direct engagement with government agencies.
“I’m truly grateful for this opportunity. I’ve learned a lot, and it has helped me recognize my weaknesses, which I am committed to working on. I sincerely hope MSC organizes more events like this in the future,” she added.
Lillian Eyak, the RDC of Lira District, also called on the authorities to enhance sensitization efforts so that the public is well-informed about the benefits of compliance.
“Let’s increase our presence on radio talk shows and continue offering quality civic education to the people,” she said.
However, she urged URA to adopt more considerate approaches when dealing with non-compliant individuals, noting that this would help strengthen their relationship with the community.
During the session, officials emphasized the importance of formalizing businesses through registration, certification, and proper tax practices. They clarified that these steps are not merely for taxation purposes but are essential for unlocking broader opportunities.
Entrepreneurs learned that registered and certified businesses are more likely to attract partnerships, access government procurement contracts, and even expand into regional markets especially important for those in border districts.
“We were surprised to learn that registration and certification don’t just bring the taxman but also connect us to bigger markets, even beyond Uganda,” Godfrey Adule from Arua said.
Simon Peter Egirait, the MSC Zonal Manager for Lira/Gulu, while addressing Emyooga beneficiaries during the engagement echoed the sentiments of officials from URA, URSB, and UNBS on the importance of formalization.
He emphasized that obtaining the necessary documentation would greatly facilitate market access for the beneficiaries.
"It is very important to have these products certified such that we increase access to market and penetration, we also leverage the competition, because when your products are not certified, it becomes hard for you to benefit the market and also affect the competition. Right now, the market is volatile, but once you position yourself very well on formalization and certification of products, it becomes easy for you to sail through," he said.
RDC also hailed MSC for spearheading president Museveni's initiative of emyooga stating that it's an initiative aimed st transforming people's lives and boosting their daily income.
Furthermore, the RDC empathised the need of adding value to products saying it increases someone's profits. However she called upon her people to formalise their businesses stating that this will open doors for bigger markets outside Uganda.
"When you formalize, it makes you tap advantages from other places. We have been telling you about the East African Community, where we have a lot of markets in this surrounding countries of East Africa, we want you to formalize so that you can freely do the businesses and earn more," she said.
She urged them to produce in bulk, noting that there is a ready market both within Uganda and beyond its borders.
"We are also aware that there is a $2 billion market in Sudan, and they are getting everything we have. There about 2 million Ugandans, and they have a big market for everything. So we want you to formalize that you are able to tap into that business," the RDC added.