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Investment body to nearly double its staff to promote investment, create jobs
Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Jolly Kaguhangire, the executive director of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) is marking her first anniversary on the new job with restructuring at the investment agency aimed at marketing Uganda as a profitable destination for investments.
The exercise that kicked off on April.04 following the approved by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development a few weeks earlier, will see the agency hire six directors in what the UIA Board Chairman, Emely Kugonza, says will create a ‘new organogram.’
The positions are Director of Industrial Parks (formerly called Land Development), Director of Investment Promotion and facilitation, Director of Finance, Director of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Director of One Stop Centre, and Chief Internal Auditor- a position that has been elevated to the level of a Director.
The One Stop Centre, which initially functioned as a joint project between UIA and the finance ministry, has now been mainstreamed into UIA and becoming the sixth directorate.
Once fully integrated into UIA, the One Stop Centre will have an expanded mandate taking on research and other bankable projects including those in Information Communication Technology, according to Kugonza, who was flanked by UIA Executive Director, Jolly Kaguhangire, and Fred Opolot, a board member.
“We have advertised internally for these positions,” Kugonza told journalists at the UIA head office on April 10.
“If we do not get people from inside the organization, then we shall advertise publicly. If this fails, then we shall embark on a headhunting process.”
He said the new staff recruitment, which may involve hiring external consultants, will see UIA’s staff nearly double from the current 68 to 134.
This new development comes a few days since news made rounds on various media platforms of sacking of UIA’s five directors – Hamza Galiwango, who was in charge of Land Development, Lawrence Byensi, director of Investment Facilitation and Aftercare, Richard Tebandeke (Finance and Administration), Christopher Nankoola (Chief Internal Auditor), Basil Ajer (SME) and Joseph Kiggundu (One Stop Centre).
Surprisingly, it also comes a few months sincePresident Museveni wrote to the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, requesting him to work out a plan on how to curb wastage of resources through mushrooming government agencies, including UIA that was cited for duplicating work alongside Uganda Registration Services Bureau, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, Uganda Export Promotions Board and the Ministry of Finance.
Kugonza, Kaguhangire and the Minister of State of Finance David Bahati recently appeared before the Parliamentary Budget Committee requesting for a supplementary budget of Shs7.8billion to cater for the wage bill and other agency demands. However, the committee reduced it to Shs3.4billion inclusive of Shs 1bn meant to cater for wages and salaries.
New move welcome
Evelyn Anite, the minister for Investment and Privatization, told The Independent that the restructuring will enhance efficiency at UIA.
“UIA has not been efficient for a long time. We are trying to fill the gaps because the whole body was not structured. The work of UIA was being duplicated a lot.”
