President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned Kawumu Tannery Uganda, a factory that adds value to animal hides and skins located at Kawumu, in Luwero District.
The factory processes leather from hides and skins and Uganda is among the top four exporters of hides and skins from Africa, but barely earns US 50 million dollars from the process.
President Museveni said for years, he has been having a war with the exportation of raw materials and importation of finished goods, citing it as one of the reasons he decided to set up a tannery factory in Kawumu.“The previous governments were used to importing everything. That’s the problem with Africans. They even import dead people’s hair. Even that takes our money,” Museveni complained.
President Museveni said that it was not proper for Uganda to import leather or paper. “When we came to Kampala, the milk which was consumed was from Denmark. I was like why don’t we use the Balaalo to get us milk from cows and we make products out of it? That’s how we stopped milk importation. We also started manufacturing beer and soda from here. The war we have been fighting of late is importation.” President Museveni lamented. “The previous governments were used to importing everything. That’s the problem with Africans. They even import dead people’s hair. Even that takes our money,” Museveni complained.
President Museveni said that it was not proper for Uganda to import leather or paper. “When we came to Kampala, the milk which was consumed was from Denmark. I was like why don’t we use the Balaalo to get us milk from cows and we make products out it? That’s how we stopped milk importation. We also started manufacturing beer and soda from here. The war we have been fighting of late is importation.” President Museveni lamented.