By Ritah Kemigisa.
The ministry of trade is to get 1.5M USD to support the hand craft and souvenir industry in the country.
The new deal which is to be implemented by the tourism ministry is under the Enhanced Integrated Framework strategic plan for 2019 to 2022.
Launching the plan at the ongoing four day Regional Trade Workshop for Africa in Kampala, the trade minister Amelia Kyambadde said the funds will see over 10,000 jobs created in this industry that engages at least 60% of the total population.
She meanwhile says the funds will also link handcraft and souvenir producers to the international market and as such increase their exports.
The Enhanced Integrated framework seeks to among others things improve trade in least developed countries in the global economy.
In 2015 Uganda with the help of this EIF collaboration undertook a diagnostic trade integration study which discovered some of the factors constraining the growth of trade in Uganda.
According to Minister Kyambadde, ever since this study was carried out a number of interventions have been made among them, which has reduced movement of goods from Mombasa to Kampala from 21 days to only four days.