First Lady officiates groundbreaking of Buikwe MMP Women’s Industrial Park
BUIKWE, August 18, 2025 — Uganda has kicked off construction of Buikwe MMP Women’s Industrial Park in Buikwe district under the African Women in Processing Uganda Chapter [AWIP-U] initiative. The park being developed in partnership with MMP Industrial Park, aims at facilitating women’s participation in industrialisation, agro-processing, and value addition in Uganda.
The groundbreaking was officiated on Thursday by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, who represented the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, the patron of AWIP. In her message, the First Lady hailed the initiative as “a defining moment for women’s economic empowerment and industrial transformation in Uganda.”
In a speech delivered on her behalf, Mrs. Museveni described the occasion as “a defining moment for women’s economic empowerment and industrial transformation in Uganda”.
She noted that the AWIP Industrial Park, located within the MMP Industrial Zone in Buikwe district, would play a significant role in advancing the country’s industrialisation agenda.
“Industrialisation is critical in moving Uganda from peasant to our desired (prosperous) modern economy,” the First Lady’s speech read in part.
She explained that the journey of African Women in Processing was born under the African Union framework and anchored within Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
This continental blueprint envisions “a prosperous Africa driven by inclusive development and full participation of women in all sectors of the economy.”
The AWIP facility is designed to be a hub for women-led industrialisation and agro-processing, offering modern infrastructure, advanced technology, and wider market access to enhance production and value addition in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
“We are all aware of the important role women play in society when women entrepreneurs thrive, the welfare of families improve and improves, and communities prosper, so any initiative that expands the opportunity for women’s inclusion in industrialisation has the potential to lead to further development of the economy,” the first lady’s speech stated in part.
She also expressed gratitude after learning that through AWIP, women will be able to access affordable financing for their various business ventures and attain the support required for the product certification.
According to AWIP, the industrial park will provide affordable financing for women entrepreneurs, alongside technical support to help them achieve product certification and meet international standards.
In his remarks, Tayebwa urged the Uganda National Bureau of Standards [UNBS] to meet with the AWIP Board of Directors to explore ways of supporting all women’s groups in certification and compliance with international benchmarks within the park.
He further pledged to arrange a meeting between AWIP groups, the Uganda Revenue Authority [URA], and the Finance ministry to address tax-related challenges that could hinder the park’s success.
Speaking at the same event, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of AWIP Uganda Chapter, Jane Amuge Okello, applauded the African Union for its support towards the initiative. She noted that locally, AWIP is aligned with Uganda’s industrialisation policy, which seeks to drive economic transformation and development.
Amuge reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to contributing to the growth of the national economy.
“At AWIP, we are working in alignment with all the strategy plans and goals that recognise the importance of situating women as key drivers of growing Uganda’s gross domestic product [GDP] from 50 billion as of 2023 to 500 billion by 2040,” Amuge said.
She expressed optimism that continued investment would help realise Uganda’s ambition of doubling its manufacturing and agro-processing capacity, a move expected to add significantly to the country’s GDP.
“AWIP’s strategic plan 2025/29 envisions a continent where women play a pivotal role in driving industrial transformation, contributing to inclusive and sustainable development” Amuge said.
Cui Yun, a Chinese investor in Uganda pledged that the organisation is prepared to purchase 100 metric tonnes of chilli powder every month for export to China for further processing.
“This will enable a hundreds of farmers and hundreds of processors, especially at this industrial park, to produce and supply high-quality chilli to the international market,” Cui said.
He added that the growth of the processing industry would significantly boost Uganda’s foreign exchange earnings, positioning the country as a major exporter of value-added products.
The groundbreaking ceremony drew government officials, development partners, and women’s groups from across the country, all united by a shared vision of empowering women to lead in industrialisation and agro-processing, driving Uganda towards its economic transformation goals.
https://thecooperator.news/nabbanja-launches-first-ever-pathogen-bioscience-industrial-park/
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