29^TH AUGUST 2025 

THE HAND-OVER CEREMONY OF MOTOR BIKES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMERCIAL OFFICERS

I would like to welcome you all to the Hand-over Ceremony of motor bikes for Commercial officers in the Local Governments by Simba Automotives to my Ministry.

The Budget strategy for the FY 2024/25 emphasised the Effective Implementation of the Parish Development Model, whose effective implementation required that frontline service providers, which include the Local Government/City commercial officers, are adequately facilitated to support implementation of the PDM, Emyooga among other programmes.

In this regard, Government, through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, procured strong Motorcycles for Commercial officers across the Country, and that is the reason we are here to give out these motorcycles. Each District/City will receive one motorcycle.

The Officers will use these motorcycles, among others, to;

1. Undertake Cooperative Mobilization, Supervision, Education, and Extension Services
2. Provide Trade Information, including market intelligence
3. Conduct market research to identify new opportunities for industrial development, for business expansion, and diversification
4. Promote innovation, thereby encouraging businesses to develop and or adopt innovative practices and technologies to improve efficiency and competitiveness
5. Build Capacity through providing training programs to enhance the skills and knowledge of cooperative members in areas such as governance, financial management, and business operations.

The Ceremony being witnessed today is one of the initiatives being undertaken by my Ministry to facilitate and empower commercial officers to effectively and efficiently deliver on the mandate of the Ministry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives operates through the Commercial Officers who are the frontline extension officers for the Ministry at the Local Government Level. The Commercial Officers fall under the Department of Trade, Industry and Local Economic Development (TILED) which was established in 2019. The establishment of the Department followed a series of undertakings to strengthen the implementation of its mandate at the local government level. First, a study was done in 2008 to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the District Commercial Office. The findings of the study highlighted a significant de-linkage with the Ministry. The study also revealed that DCOs who should promote trade, industry and cooperative activities at the districts, had limited capacity in terms of skills, financial and office resources. Additionally, the study highlighted that most districts were not prioritizing promotion of commercial services and were not clear on its importance   and the role of Commercial Officers. Commercial extension services were therefore not mainstreamed into District Development Plans which implied that there was no local revenue as well as Central Government grants to finance activities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, following these findings, the Ministry embarked on various plans and strategies to support and strengthen the Commercial Offices. First, in the Financial Year 2010/11, my Ministry established a Conditional Grant of Ug.Shs. 108 million from the Ministry which was followed by financial support from European Union through the Economic Partnership Agreement on Trade related Aspects Private Sector Support (EPATAPSS) programme.

In 2012, the District Commercial Services Support project was established to enhance the delivery of commercial services through capacity building and retooling of local government offices.

Ladies and Gentlemen, beginning this financial year, Government has enhanced funding to Commercial Officers from UGX 2.23bn in FY 2019/2020 to UGX 8.87bn. This means that the allocation to each Local Government was almost quadrupled. For instance, if a district was receiving UGX 12m in FY 2024/25, beginning this year it is getting 40m. 7% of this funding is for maintenance of Motorcycles (spares, tyres, servicing).

Ladies and Gentlemen, We are aware of the funding constraints to LGs. In that regard, we are mobilizing resources to ensure that each commercial officer is facilitated with a laptop and office furniture. This will ensure a conducive office environment and that data is collected on PDM, Emyooga, and other Government interventions to enhance impact.

In conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, The motorcycles have been tested and are strong. These are not the boda-boda type. These are high-spec motorcycles with a long life span if well handled.

Finally, you are aware that Government is committed to the attainment of the tenfold GDP growth where GDP must increase tenfold, i.e., from US$50 Bn to US$500Bn by 2040. This calls for the mobilization and building the capacity of farmers, traders, manufacturers, and cooperatives to increase production and value addition. So, retooling commercial officers is in the right direction since they are the frontline extension service providers. I request local governments that have not filled critical posts of commercial officers to do so, once the wage is availed. With enough manpower, this department can adequately handle the key tasks I have highlighted above.  As a way of cautioning you, I don’t want to find these motorcycles not maintained, at drinking places, or being ridden by unauthorized persons

I pledge my Ministry’s commitment to continue mobilizing resources for the Trade, Industry and Local Economic Development Department to facilitate effective service delivery all over the Country. I would like to thank Simba Automotives for creating a Ugandan brand motorbike. This is a reflection of the achievements of  Government’s  Industrialization drive.

With those few remarks, allow me to commission these motorcycles to support all poverty alleviation programmes in the LGs.

Continue to support the NRM Government; more things are on the way.

FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY

Gume Fredrick

Hon. Minister of State for Cooperatives,