The Uganda Investment Authority(UIA) has embarked on restructuring process, targeting management positions. The exercise however will later flow to lower positions.
UIA chairman Board of director Dr. Emely Kugonza said some of the vacant positions during the restructuring process will be advertised internally to give priority to existing staff.
The exercise which kicked off last month, Kugonza said its being carried out in transparency and fairness.
“All staff who believe they have the capacity to fit into the advertised positions have been encouraged to apply for them,” he added.
The restructuring exercise is making some of the employees worried, fearing to lose their jobs.
Earlier this year, the finance ministry granted authorization to UIA Board of Directors to carry out the restructuring exercise. This is aimed at to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of UIA to deliver its mandate.
1 million jobs to be created
In its strategic plan of 2016-2021,whose theme is “Uganda: Profitable for Investment, Business and Innovative,” UIA’s main a goal is to create 1,000,000 jobs by 2021.
“This plan is orientated to brand and market Uganda as profitable for investments, business and also as the land of entrepreneurial and innovative people,” Kugonza explained.
UIA said the strategy focuses on better investment generation from within Uganda while upping the foreign drive for investment.
Kugonza also said the focus would be on expansion of the authority, re-alignment of existing UIA staff into the new structure and recruitment of new staff where necessary.
UIA has a lot to do to solve the high unemployment rate in Uganda. Statistics from the National Planning Authority show that of the 700,000 people who join the labour market annually, only 90,000 get jobs. This means 87 per cent are qualified but jobless Ugandans.
Wars
Recently, UIA got a new executive director Jolly Kamugira Kaguhangire, replacing Frank Sebbowa whose contract had expired in October 2016.
Barely a year in office, Kaguhangire was accused by a board member of hiring a private company to do work which already exists.
Prof George Piwang-Jalobo said the President’s proposal on job creation was supposed to be incorporated in the existing UIA Strategic Plan.
But before it was done, Jalobo said Kamuhangire contracted Summit Consulting Limited at sh100m to redraft the same Strategic Plan without authority of the board.
