Kampala, Uganda | ENTEBBENEWS.NET | Uganda could double its annual coffee export earnings to US$2.4 billion by investing more in value addition, the National Planning Authority (NPA) has said, highlighting the need for the country to move beyond exporting mainly raw agricultural commodities.
Asumani Guloba, Senior Manager for Economic Planning at NPA, said processing and other value-adding activities could increase annual coffee export earnings from the current US$1.2 billion to US$2.4 billion.
He made the remarks during the International Association for Strategy Professionals (IASP) Africa Regional Conference held in Kampala recently, where government officials, business executives, academics and strategy professionals discussed ways of improving the execution of development plans.
Guloba, who represented NPA Executive Director Joseph Muvawala, said Uganda’s economic ambitions would require institutions to make strategic choices that translate available resources and opportunities into higher economic returns.
The coffee example illustrates the potential cost of relying on commodity exports without capturing more value through processing, branding and other activities along the supply chain.
For Uganda, which has positioned agriculture as a major driver of economic growth, improving value addition could increase export revenues, create employment and expand opportunities for businesses involved in processing and manufacturing.
However, realising that potential requires more than identifying opportunities. It calls for investment, coordinated policies, institutional capacity and effective implementation.
Execution challenge
The conference, organised under the theme “Unlocking Strategy Excellence for Africa’;s Transformation”, examined why ambitious development plans often fail to deliver the expected results.
In his contribution, Muvawala argued that the success of a strategy should be measured by the results it produces rather than the quality of the document outlining it.
He said Africa had developed several continental, regional and national development frameworks, but translating these commitments into coordinated action remained a major challenge.
Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and Ten-fold Growth Strategy reflect the country’s ambitions to accelerate economic transformation. Delivering on these priorities will require institutions to align their resources, capabilities and partnerships with clearly defined development outcomes.
Innocent Miraze Agaba, President of the IASP Uganda Chapter, said the continent was not short of ideas and development plans but struggled to translate them into improvements that people could experience.
He said the conference sought to help strategy professionals and institutional leaders improve how they formulate, implement and evaluate strategies.
Agaba challenged participants to measure the value of the gathering by what they would accomplish after returning to their respective organisations.
He said the ultimate test would be whether institutions recorded improved performance and measurable achievements before the next conference.
Local solutions
Daniel Omara, IASP Global President, said African institutions needed to strengthen their ability to convert strategic ambitions into practical outcomes.
He urged organisations to align their people, resources and responsibilities, while strengthening accountability and discipline in implementing their plans.
Omara also cautioned against adopting international management frameworks without considering local economic and institutional conditions.
He said African organisations could learn from international practices but should adapt them to their own operating environments.
The conference examined six areas of strategic dialogue, including economic transformation, leadership, workforce development, technology and the capabilities institutions need to respond to emerging risks.
The discussions also highlighted the role of professional strategy management in helping organisations identify priorities, allocate resources and monitor performance.
IASP, a global association for strategy professionals, promotes professional development, knowledge exchange and certification. It has chapters in 15 countries, including Uganda.
The association offers Strategic Planning Professional and Strategy Management Professional certifications aimed at strengthening the skills of practitioners responsible for developing and implementing organisational strategies.
The conference was co-organised by the NPA and IASP Uganda Chapter, bringing together national development planning and professional strategy practice.
