By Jovita Mirembe
Many farmers have failed to sell their produce to various markets in and outside Uganda due to the bad road structures and trade barriers.
The bad roads and trade barriers have brought about a set back in the agricultural business sector, the president of the Uganda Institute of professional Engineers(UIPE) has said.
Eng. Andrew Muhwezi said that as a country we should interlink the road sector for both the main and feeder roads in a single continental market of Africa of Agricultural produce to serve a population of over 1.4 billion.
He was addressing a press conference at the Institute’s offices in Kyambogo 22 June.
‘ Uganda’s economy is basically agricultural, accounting for about 27% of the GDP and employing over 80% of the labour force.
Most of our Agricultural produce rots before it is sold because of the bad roads which hinder travel to markets where they can be sold hence reducing on the income of the farmers and the country at large’ Muhwezi said.
He said that to this cause the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineer (UIPE) is organizing the 26th National Technology conference and Exhibition(NTCE) to provide space where key stake holders with in the engineering fraternity gather to share engineering knowledge, innovations, experiences, research findings, interrogate science, cutting edge technologies and approaches among other pertinent issues.
He said that the conference under the theme tapping engineering opportunities for accelerated African Continental free trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to attract over 5000 guests who include engineers, business people and researchers from all over Africa in August between 17-18 at Hotel Africana.
Eng. Dr. Fedrick Tusubira the patron of UIPE said that Ugandan Engineers have a responsibility to see how they can involve themselves with engineers from other African countries in constructing good quality roads which will bring about a good efficient road net work that can help in the urgent delivery of Agro processing systems in Uganda and Africa as a whole.
‘’In Africa we need to open up boundaries so that we can develop rapidly. However we should first check on the quality of the food stuffs and manufactured goods before the are exported whether they satisfy the ISO Certification.
Other continents like the Europe have already done boundary openings in trade links which has helped the countries in those continents to develop at a high speed’ Tusubira said.
Eng Dr. Florence Kiyimba Lubwama chairperson organizing committee of the conference at the same occasion said that engineering students have just graduated in the engineering field r will be involved in the conference to show case thier innovations in the engineering sector which will help in establishing new technologies.
