Uganda Export Promotion Board

Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) is a Public Trade Promotion Organization established by Parliamentary Statute No. 2 of 1996. At the time of formation, it was known as the Uganda Export Promotion Council (UEPC). It is an agency that is regulated and supervised by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. The fundamental role of this institution is to facilitate the development and growth of export trade in Uganda. This is reflected in its mission statement that read "Facilitating the development, diversification, promotion and coordination of all export related activities that lead to export growth on a sustainable basis."

Currently its head (and only) office is located on the 5th Floor Conrad Plaza, Plot 55 Entebbe Road, Kampala, Uganda.

Management

This institution is managed by a Board of Directors that drawn from government ministries, related public and private trade support institutions and major export sector associations. These include the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ministries); Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI); Uganda National Farmers Federation, Uganda Flower Exporter Association plus other private sector players. In total there are 12 members.

Operations

The institution is technically headed by an Executive Director. It is organized into 4 operational divisions - Market Research and Product Development, Management Information Systems, Trade Promotions and Public Relations and the Finance and Administration Division. Each of these is headed by a divisional Director and has at least 3 desk officers.

On a day-to-day basis UEPB executes and supports activities geared towards;

• Promoting public awareness, knowledge and appreciation of export trade and related issues
• Building export capacities and competencies
• Facilitating export transactions. UEPB in collaboration with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is responsible for issuance and monitoring the usage of preferential certificates of origin. To date there are 8 such preferential certificates including EAC, COMESA, EUR 1, GSP, China SPT, Morocco, South Korea and India.
• Policy Initiation and Advocacy
• Business Linkage and Matchmaking
• Export Trade Intelligence and Information Dissemination
• Market Research and Development (Export Market-Entry and Marketing Strategy etc.)
• Product Development Services - developing products for export markets
• Business Counseling and Coaching

The UEPB has an annual event - The President's Export Award - which seeks to acknowledge the export fraternity's contribution towards the economic development of the country. The President has always been the Chief Host and Guest at this event.

External links

• Uganda Export Promotion Board