Sunday, June 30, 2024

HUMONGOUS LIQUIDITY TURNOVER: PATIENT CAPITAL HANDSHAKE BOOSTS PLOUGHED BACK EARNINGS FOR PARTICIPATING COMMERCIAL BANKS

BoU tasks commercial banks to take serious measures against under capitalisation


The Central Bank has tasked commercial banks to implement risk management practices and controls to prevent under capitalization.




The Bank’s Director of the Pension and Administration department Ralph Bakashabaruhanga says banks should avoid disappointing and abusing their depositors trust.





He advises that commercial banks ensure rigorous internal controls that help them to control fraud among other measures.

This follows the closure of Mercantile Credit Bank last week and EFC Uganda in January due to “serious issues that put customer savings at risk.

“These institutions failed their depositors, employees and broader financial due to under capitalization, poor cooperate governance and insolvency, these are not isolated incidents these representor preterm of government failures that have been and enduring cause of banking sector instability in Uganda,” Mr. Bakashabaruhanga commented.

Bakashabaruhanga made the remarks while addressing students and officials from the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services during their Annual General Meeting held in Kampala on Thursday.



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Friday, May 10, 2024

OPINION: SOURCING LONG-TERM FINANCE FROM ROBUST CAPITAL MARKETS – THE PROVEN PANACEA FOR PROHIBITIVE INTERMEDIATED AND/OR LEVERAGED SHORT-TERM SOURCES AKIN TO DEBT BURDENED LENDERS SUCH AS COMMERCIAL BANKS

Industrialists Demand For own bank



URN PHOTO/COURTESY: Minister Bahati speaking to industrialists at the UMA exhibition




VIDEO COVERAGE 👇🏾



DAY ONE:







DAY TWO:







independent.co.ug, May 9, 2024 | Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s industrialists, supported by financial institutions, have decided to lead efforts towards the establishment of an industrial bank.

The proposed Uganda National Industrial Bank would serve to reduce the cost of Finance that the private sector persistently fronts as the major challenge to its growth.

This is one of the resolutions from the just-ended two-day Financial Symposium and Exhibition organised by the Uganda Manufactures Association (UMA) at The Lugogo show grounds.

The idea came after the manufacturers realised that all the available sources of funds were not adequately and comprehensively serving their needs.

Francis Ogwang, the Uganda Country Manager, East African Development Bank , agreed with the manufacturers that there was need for other alternatives, adding that many countries have dedicated banks for the different major sectors like agriculture, industry, manufacturing and international trade.

He said that while he believed in a private sector led economic growth, there is need for more government intervention in terms of finance, saying that there should be at least 1 billion dollars ready for lending to the private sector.

Speaking about the the uniqueness from other available long-term lenders like the Uganda Development Bank, Ogwang said an industrial bank should not be under the regulation of the central bank.

He said that because of the strict nature needed by the central bank to control the operations of commercial banks, the industrial bank would not have enough space to sustainably serve its purpose.

An industrial bank, according to Ogwang, is necessary because it would offer both financial, advisory and business incubation services to SMEs and Large industries and mobilise capital specifically dedicated to industrial investments. Other reasons fronted included the ability to ease the competition for the limited Financial resource between the government and private sector and between traders and industrialists.

The mobilisation of cheaper finances would be possible because the industrial bank would be able to have financing partners like the International Finance Corporation, Afrexim BankAfrican Development Bank among others, according to Ogwang.

The manufacturers expressed discontent at the available sources of finance which they said were not responsive to their needs.

They also dismissed the government intervention of the Small Businesses Recovery Fund that was launched two years ago as a relief package for enterprises hit by COVID-19. UMA Executive Director, Dr. Ezra Muhumuza Rubanda, said there was a big problem with the banks mandated to manage the funds, accusing the institutions of “hiding” information about the project and instead fronting their own expensive products.

The recovery fund carries a 10 percent interest, while the agriculture credit facility attracts 12 percent, both far lower than the average 17 percent set by the commercial banks.

Alex Lwanja, the Director in charge of the SBRF and the Agriculture Credit Facility at the Bank of Uganda, said while the ACF had performed well with almost 800 billion shillings disbursed since 2011, the SBRF had only lent out just more than 13 billion shillings out of the 200 billion set aside. He put the blame for the low uptake on the strict conditions set by the ministry of finance, but added that they have been pushing for the revision and several of the conditions have now been amended.

These include opening up the fund to businesses that were established after the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of employees a beneficiary should be employing as well as the maximum amount that had been ceiled at 300 million shillings.

He hoped this would attract more people to apply for the credit facility.

Lwanja also called on any entrepreneur who would be told by a bank that the ACF and the SBRF were not available at the bank, to immediately call him.

****

URN



Wednesday, May 1, 2024

UGANDA; PRESIDENT MUSEVENI GRACES THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY CELEBRATIONS HELD IN FORT PORTAL CITY ON LABOUR DAY

Museveni Vows to Get Tough On wealth Creation Jobs



File Photo/Courtesy: His Excellent President Yoweri Museveni



ugstandard.com, May 01, 2024 | KAMPALA, UGANDA – In a marked shift in tone, President Yoweri Museveni has warned that he will no longer be polite in his approach to addressing the country’s economic challenges, particularly wealth creation and job opportunities.





Speaking during the International Labour Day celebrations, President Museveni emphasized that jobs cannot exist without wealth, and therefore, the focus should be on creating modern wealth, not traditional wealth.

“I have been polite because I didn’t want to embarrass some people. In the coming days, I will stop being polite,” he said, hinting at a more assertive approach to tackling the issues.

The President drew a distinction between the class struggle in Europe, where imperialists exploited others, and the situation in Uganda, where a collective struggle is needed to create wealth.

“The issue here is to create wealth,” he stressed, emphasizing the need for a collaborative effort to achieve economic prosperity.

This new stance is seen as a call to action for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and citizens to prioritize wealth creation and job opportunities, with the President himself taking a more decisive and assertive lead in driving this agenda.

Only time will tell what specific measures President Museveni will take to address these challenges, but one thing is clear – the days of politeness are over, and it’s time for action.








Thursday, December 7, 2023

STRATEGY TO DEMYSTIFY THE GLOBAL TRADE ARENA SECRETS

PSFU, Mastercard partner to train business development service providers



Courtesy/File Photo: PSFU, Chief Programs and Projects Officer, Ambassador Damali Ssali, addressing the BDS Trainees.


observor.ug, December 6, 2023 | In a bid to drive sustainable growth of businesses, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation is conducting a training of more than 200 business development services (BDS) providers across the country. 


TitledGrowthPartners Program, BDS participants were drawn from a pool of at least 1,000 applications that underwent a competitive evaluation process based on their placement and ability to impact enterprise development in their respective communities.


Speaking at the opening of the training at Emin Pasha Hotel in Nakasero Tuesday, PSFU chief programmes and projects officer, Damali Ssali, said the participants would be equipped with information on Uganda’s newly formulated business development support standards, tools, mentorship, and resources needed to drive the growth of enterprises.



The African Management Institute is leading the training with tips on accessing finance for their businesses, strategic business planning, streamlining operations, and managing people, among others. 


“PSFU has been running various projects to support businesses but the impact has been minimal in some enterprises. We discovered that the BDS ecosystem was characterized by various constraints that limit its potential to generate business growth,” Ssali said. 


She added: “Therefore, PSFU through the Lead Firm Project in partnership with Mastercard FoundationLead Firm Project in partnership with Mastercard Foundation decided to contribute to the process of streamlining BDS service delivery by supporting the development of quality standards.”


The BDS standards, now awaiting certification by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), were developed by a technical working group which, among others, comprised officials from the ministry of Trade and PSFU. At least two standards have been finalized but the plan is to set up 10 BDS standards. 


“We felt the need to train the private sector about these standards. Normally, standards are developed on paper but there is no training on how to comply with them. When people are well versed with the standards, it will make our companies more competitive both locally and internationally. This is when we shall be able to export more goods to the region and beyond,” she said. 


According to Ssali, PSFU has so far identified two limitations to business growth; lack of skills to manage businesses and insufficient funds to run the business. She believes that after the training, the BDS providers will be best placed to sensitize business owners who hardly notice gaps in their operations and the standards expected of them in the market.


BETTER SERVICE DELIVERY


The small medium enterprises (SMEs) are also expected to have a diverse range of BDS providers across the country that are equipped with practical strategies to navigate business challenges and seize opportunities. According to the investment specialist in charge of partnerships and engagements at PSFU, Cecilia Kengoro Mutabanura, there will be improved service delivery among the BDS providers after the two-day training.


“We have been seeing inadequate services offered to enterprises by BDS providers out there. After all these years of PSFU giving support to the enterprises, they were not giving the impact that we are looking for. For the outstanding BDS providers, their services are expensive,” Kengoro said. 


She added: “We thought that if we can be able to raise the competencies of a good number of BDS providers, more enterprises would have access to good quality services at affordable prices.”


The BDS services, mainly non-financial such as technical advice, incubations, marketing, consultancy, and management support, are intended to bring out growth or transformation of the businesses. Kengoro said similar BDS trainings have also been held in Mbale, Gulu, Mbarara, and Fort portal in the past three weeks and trainees will continuously receive support to catalyze business growth wherever they are placed.


BENEFICIARIES SPEAK


Dona Sava – Programmes and Projects Lead at Hive Colab


The training is all about ensuring that BDS providers are regulated and operating in a manner that is appealing to our clients. There are many service providers out there but the standards are not only going to regulate us but also expand our networks.


We shall graduate and eventually become certified BDS service providers on the PSFU portal. We hope to use the standards from the training to serve our entrepreneurs better. This will also help them to grow their businesses.


Hassan Sekajoolo – Youth Livelihood Development


This organization works to develop micro-enterprises for youths in the country by taking incomes to the poorest youth. The training is crucial for us because we are working towards eradicating youth unemployment. However, we are getting skills on how to provide this business development support to these young people in the simplest terms to grow from micro-enterprises to big cooperations. 


Joan Kyokutamba – executive director of Shungura Foundation


There are several unemployed youths who don’t know how to seek employment. They have been pushed to create their jobs but their parents didn’t nurture them into this space. BDS providers think this particular space is a professional one that no one should tap into.


However, I have realized that there’s a need to improve our service provision market so that we tap into larger markets and get bigger clientele through such training. 

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

UGANDA'S STELLAR LADY EXECUTIVE BANDWAGON ENGULFS THE CAPITAL MARKETS AUTHORITY

 Josephine Ossiya: What awaits the new capital markets boss?



Courtesy/File Photo:  Josephine Okui Ossiya – CPA, FCCA, MBA, incoming Chief Executive Officer, Capital Markets Authority – Uganda (CMA).


What you need to

 know:


monitor.co.ug, Dec 6, 2023 10:43 AMCapital Markets Authority (CMA) has appointed Ms Josephine Okui Ossiya as the new chief executive officer. She will take office on February 5, 2024.


She ends a drought of a female executives at CMA and will effectively replace Mr Keith Kalyegira, whose two five non-renewable terms ends this year. He had held the position since 2013.


Under his rein, large corporations, including Airtel, MTN, and Cipla Quality Chemical, have listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange and has expanded USE market capitalisation to Shs11.8 trillion. 


“Mr Kalyegira’s commitment extended beyond market expansion. He spearheaded the issuance of Shs110b in private and public debt, broadening the investor landscape and fostering economic growth through a more diversified financial system,” CMA said in a statement.


He has also been instrumental in increasing public understanding of capital markets, as evidenced by the Collective Investment Schemes (CISs), which attracted 65,000 new investors and injected Shs2.2 trillion into the market.


However, the new boss must take on more to feed a market that seems to have a lot of hunger. 

 

It is troubling to understand why the stock market has remained an unappealing avenue for large companies in need of cheap long-term capital.

 

Despite the rising cost of commercial debt, which averages at 18 percent for prime borrowers, no major corporations, save Kakira Sugar Works, have issued corporate bonds. 


Kakira Sugar Works is currently running a Shs76b bond, through which it had sought to raise capital in 2013. This is disturbing.


To-date, only nine corporate bonds have been issued in Uganda, raising a combined Shs289b, with majority of the issuers being financial institutions in the banking sector.


Issuing bonds is one way for companies to raise money. A bond functions as a loan between an investor and a corporation. The investor agrees to give the corporation a certain amount of money for a specific period of time. In exchange, the investor receives periodic interest payments.


CMA says that most companies issue corperate bonds when they are expanding but have failed to understand the alternative resource sourcing capital markets provide.


CMA and Financial Sector Deepening – Africa are currently working together to review the 2003 Corporate Bond Guidelines with the goal of facilitating the process of raising alternative non-bank financing for project development and business expansion for a greater number of local governments and private companies.


The amendments seek to expand the range of debt products that can be issued, and switch from merit-based approval to disclosure-based approval, among other things. 


Green bonds, municipal bonds, and infrastructure bonds are among the products that will be impacted.


Ms Ossiya will also have to work with a market at a time when sovereign investors are showing less interest in buying into companies that are presumed to be a hot sale. 


Airtel would be the best example to illustrate this. Its initial public offering attracted no off shore investor and was only saved by a deadline day purchase by National Social Security Fund, which, as the only institutional investor, bought 10.55 percent of the 20 percent offer.  


This resulted in a 58.18 percent undersubscription. 


Beyond this, Ms Ossiya must address the market’s liquidity challenges. 


Many investors who buy into publicly traded companies struggle to sell. 


Recently some investors tried to sell Airtel stocks right after the company had been listed, but received relatively low bids, according to data from Crested Capital, a stock broker.


This creates posterity challenges and results into market agitation. 


Ms Ossiya will also have to get tough on investor protection. A recent breach of USE investor data, some of which is very personal, put the entire equity markets at risk and ponzi schemes seem to have re-emerged, disguising themselves as licensed collective investment schemes. 


For example, CMA recently had to halt operations of Capital Chicken, which is currently a subject of investigation for embezzling Shs2b from various investors.  Thus Ms Ossiya must make every effort to ensure that this never happens again. 


CMA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to efficiently prosecute offenses related to the capital markets. 


“We [CMA] aware that during such challenging times, unscrupulous individuals tend to take advantage of the unsuspecting public. Numerous schemers are eyeing the little you have saved,” Mr Kalyegira said recently in a statement.


Work and experience


No doubt Ms Ossiya appears to be a capable pair of hands given her depth of knowledge and experience.                                

She joined the Bank of Uganda board in February 2018 and has served as chief financial officer of Bujagali Energy since November 2014.


In June, she also became the first female president of the Uganda's institute of certified public accountants.


Her previous positions include being a finance director at Eskom, chief financial officer and head of finance at ATC Ghana, and financial controller at Standard Chartered Bank.  


She has worked with the British American Tobacco Uganda, National Social Security Fund, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Shell (now Vivo), and other financial institutions.


She is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda, and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Uganda and the US.





Wednesday, November 29, 2023

INAUGURAL MAMMOTH PRESIDENTIAL INVESTORS' CONFERENCE ATTRACTS MULTI-SECTORAL WHITE-PAPER FEEDBACK

MUSEVENI REITERATES GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT INVESTORS


redpepper.co.ug, November 29, 08:04PM President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has reassured investors of the government’s commitment to support them so that they help the country to steer its socio-economic development agenda.


YouTube Video │ UBC : Presidential Investors' Conference | November 29, 2023.



 




“The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives should capture information of all these people so that we give them support because these are not very difficult to support,” he said.







The President made the remarks today during the Presidential Investors Conference at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.






The one-of-a-kind investors conference enabled President Museveni to meet face to face with investors from across Uganda who operate from several sectors such as agriculture and value addition, manufacturing, services and ICT. The President and the participants discussed pertinent issues aimed at boosting investments in the country.


During the interaction, President Museveni explained that the investment atmosphere in Uganda starts with raw materials.

“The raw materials are in the following areas. Number one is commercial agriculture where mainly Ugandan's produce agricultural products that need processing and as we talk even today, we have got many candidates for processing like coffee, fruits, cereals like maize, cassava, bananas, Irish potatoes, cotton, beef, milk, leather and so on,” he said.

“Therefore, this is one cluster of opportunities to add value to all those and there are sectors which are good examples. You take the sector of milk where I have been involved since the 1960s when I was a student leader mobilising the people in Ankole to get out of lack of money because they had land and cows but no money and that is how we started that campaign. The milk sector started with zero; when we came into government in 1986, we were importing powdered milk for the towns from Denmark but Uganda now is producing 5 billion litres of milk a year and much of it is being processed.”






The President reaffirmed that the investors especially in the commercial agriculture sector have potential to develop and the government is willing to help them achieve their goal.

“As long as they can prove to you as the Industry Ministry that they have the market where to sell these products, we can plan to support them. And even if we don’t have enough money, we can support them in part because these people are ready to add value.”

President Museveni further directed the Minister of State for Industry, Hon. David Bahati to get a list of investors especially in the milk, fruit and fisheries sectors so that the government can see a way to support them.

“When we are talking about investment, we are talking about linking the Processors /manufacturers with the raw material producers. Now apart from commercial agriculture and the mining sector, then you go to the service sector like hotels, transport,healthcare. Those also need a clear channel,” he asserted.





“What I would like to advise is that don’t undercook what you are doing, take these products like milk as cash products. With the milk now, the whole chain is organised. Similarly, if it is like fruits, we are also sure that even with 1 acre you can get Shs.60m each year. Therefore, that chain should be completely linked. The factory should be linked with farming so that the factory has got enough raw materials and the farmers have enough money.”


President Museveni also disclosed that the government in one year has injected USD 230 million in Uganda Development Bank (UDB) to help investors who need support.


“The problem is not money, the problem is organisation and linkage,” he said.


“Now, once you handle the issue of money, then the other issue is infrastructure. The government is handling that. When we finish infrastructure, then we focus on the market. The Ugandan and East African Community market is there and that of Africa, even that outside Africa.”


President Museveni on the other hand urged the investors to take advantage of the 25 Industrial parts across the country to set up factories.


“Those who want to work, the industrial park land is available free of charge.”


The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Matia Kasaija thanked President Museveni for shepherding Uganda amidst global challenges occasioned by Covid-19, war in Ukraine, floods in Uganda among other shocks that have strained the economic flow.


“Your Excellency, your steady leadership has kept the economy resilient with low inflation rate and increasing investment flow in the areas of agriculture, value addition manufacturing, ICT, oil and gas, tourism and services,” Hon. Kasaija said.


He also informed the President that the Presidential Investors Conference is aimed at discussing and finding solutions to the challenges of doing business in Uganda and the region.


“Your Excellency, the government has undertaken significant reforms to streamline processes and reduce bureaucratic hurdles. Our goal is to make it easier for investors to set up and operate their businesses in Uganda,” Hon. Kasaija said.


“The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) One stop center is a testimony to this, and it serves as a single point of contact for all, ensuring a swift process for investors. The one stop center is designed to facilitate a seamless experience for investors providing a range of services under one roof. Whether it is a company registration, tax permits for environmental impact assessment or work permits, our team at the one stop center is here to assist you at every step. This approach saves time and reduces the cost of doing business, thus making Uganda an attractive destination for investments.”


The Minister added that apart from the one stop center at UIA, the Ministry of Trade has also approved a series of approaches to improve the business climate in Uganda like simplifying tax procedures, enhancing infrastructure like electricity and investment in human capital development.


The Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Hon. Evelyn Anite noted that the conference is meant to help resolve the challenges affecting the investors in the country.


“I want to thank you, Your Excellency, for saying that we should continue with the program, and we listen to the challenges of the investors which you codenamed Baraza. We will go ahead with the presentations and answer some of the issues they had raised to the government before,” she said.




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UGANDA: SOROTI DISTRICT HOSTS THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATIONS – 2024

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