Prime
State firm lobbies for money printing deal
Mr Joachim Buwembo, the board chairperson of UPPC, speaks at the launch of the corporation’s digital platforms in Kampala last Friday. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The company leaders say this will make them self-sustaining and create jobs.
The Uganda Printing and Publication Company (UPPC) has called on the government to allow it to print national documents such as currency, passports, and national IDs, among others.
Mr Joachim Buwembo, the board chairperson of UPPC, said the money the government is spending on international printing, if spent locally, can change the status of the printing industry in Uganda.
“We need all the processes to enable us to print important documents, the National Identification cards (IDs), the passports, and the money. There is no country I know of that prints its money, passport, or National IDs in Uganda,” he said.
Mr Buwembo was speaking in Kampala on Friday at the launch of UPPC’s digital platforms and celebration to mark the agency’s 120 years.
Ms Robinah Nabbanja, the Prime Minister in a speech read by Mr Robert Kasule Sebunya, the head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, said Uganda spends $10 million (about Shs37b) annually on outsourcing printing works abroad.
She called upon all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to continue prioritising UPPC for printing jobs.
Ms Nabbanja explained that this will ensure sustained growth as well as save government foreign exchange foroutsourcing printing works.
“This expenditure not only drains our foreign exchange reserves but also has a ripple effect on the growth prospects for our economy. By keeping these printing jobs within the country, we can redirect these funds to support local businesses, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth,” Ms Nabbanja said.
She added: “The impact of such a shift cannot be overstated as it supports our national agenda of self-reliance and economic resilience.”
She appreciated the MDAs who have adhered to the presidential directive and given printing works to UPPC.
Ms Nabbanja said that the Corporation has been at the forefront of advancing Uganda’s Vision 2040 objectives by ensuring the creation of employment opportunities along the value chains of production, processing, and marketing.
She further noted that UPPC has promoted local industrialisation by supporting domestic production for all printing and publishing needs not only boosting local capacity but also further advancing the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) agenda.
Ms Nabbanja said UPPC has the capacity and technology but also needs a machine that can print all the national documents.
“If given time, we can print all those documents here in Uganda. We must stop exporting our dollars from poor farmers and then we return them to the already developed countries,” she said.
Ms Nabbanja further asked the UPPC to create enough trust with the population of the country to print the security documents, money, and passports, among other things.
Minister for Presidency Milly Babalanda commended the Corporation for their recent ICT innovations that respond to their recently launched strategic plan that targets to digitise 80 percent of their services by 2026.
About UPPC
UPPC is an enterprise fully owned by the government. It was established in 1992 to provide printing and publishing services to public and private entities and individuals. The Corporation started out as the government printer under the British colonial government in 1902.
