The Presidential CEO Forum (PCF) hosted the first-ever CEO Retreat at The National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi between the 3rd to 5th December 2021. It was attended by Ministers, Heads of government agencies and the invited CEOs from different sectors. With the theme “Enhancing collaboration between business and government leaders to attain social and economic transformation,”
The 3-day CEO Retreat was highlighted by the presence of the head of state, President H.E Yoweri Kaguta T. Museveni who addressed CEOs of various businesses in Uganda. He went into depth breaking down the three priority sectors that should be focused on which are: electricity, transport and money. “I affirmed the government’s commitment to lowering electricity and transport costs which will, in turn, reduce the cost of production and spur the growth of the business.” The President promised to support the private sector in addressing the challenges they face and revealed that he will create a new position of Special Advisor on Economic Affairs to tackle the problems. Amidst the open discussions on how to better the gap between the private sector and government. Key government officials like the Permanent Secretary to the treasury Dr Ramathan Ggoobi, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, and lands Minister Hon Judith Nabakooba among others.
The Presidential CEO Forum aimed at fostering close engagement between the government and the Private sector and finding solutions to the pre-existing channel for bettering the economy of the country. TheRetreat intended to bring together all CEOs in the Public and Private sectors to implement national objectives. With its goal to be the leading Forum that champions Private Sector entrepreneurs to actively participate in economic activities that foster private sector development, PCF intends to front all actors of both the Private and Public sectors to build toward a greater Ugandan economy.
Ms Barbara Mulwana, the proprietor of Mulwana Group of companies and the Chairperson Presidential CEO Forum in her remarks expressed her joy towards PCF having managed to achieve what it has achieved amidst the hard times of Covid. One of the governing quotes PCF follows is “Uganda First,” which has enabled the Forum to come up with ideas that are the next big reviver for the Ugandan economy. The Presidential CEO Forum thrives in the private sector, you have to be in the room where decisions are made and that is the cabinet.
Dr Ramathan Ggoobi in his remarks said that the main objective of the industrialization agenda is to ensure that the manufacturing sector contributes at least 31% of GDP from the current 10%. On Day 2 of the retreat, PCF leaned toward having resolutions to the emerging problems among different sectors in the country.
Ms Irene Mugisha one of PCF’s board members and coordinator, in her remarks, mentioned that Presidential CEO Forum is committed to supporting the government agenda of private sector development. “The Presidential CEO Forum is a presidential initiative put in place to harness and popularize private sector involvement in existing local and international initiatives. PCF plays a key role in identifying the bottlenecks to business and economic growth so that they are addressed by the government working together with the private sector.PCF shall endeavour to identify all key thematic areas that affect the private sector growth and engage all stakeholders to champion their improvement. PCF is working towards improving integrity among people, enhancing transparency, and accountability and minimizing corruption in doing business in Uganda.
The Retreat was concluded with key action points that the Presidential Forum together with the private sector, government and CEO involvement points to tackle in order to achieve the goal that is bettering Uganda’s economy.
By Nancy Emily Nagujja
