Introduction:
“The giant is crying” is a phrase to use about the Uganda textile industry, the Uganda Textile Society (UTS) president, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wanyama Aaron asserts.
The industry which in its current sorry state employs about 21 per cent of the country’s population both directly and indirectly is what I am writing about here. The Uganda textile industry is a firm to fashion industry, right from natural fibre growth.
The most common fibres in Uganda are cotton and silk. Currently, the industry is largely dominated by ginneries – estimated to be around 40 throughout the country – whose final product is just raw cotton. About 20 per cent of this cotton is consumed locally, mainly by Southern Range Nyanza (Nytil) Ltd and Phenix Logistics (U) Ltd, while the rest is exported in half-processed form. This fetches a low economic value – which has discouraged many potential traders.
Why is the giant crying?
The Ugandan textile industry itself gives little or no revenue to the government as it is comprised of the illegal and unregistered CUT, MAKE AND TRIM (CTM) enterprises owned by different individuals across the country these make 90% of the sector. Most of which are found in the central region in the capital of the country, Kampala. We see that inspite of the fact that the industry employs the largest part of the population, it is not known, there is no way the government can revamp and fund the unknown business, and therefore remain staggering only on the local scene. Due to the lack of registration certificates and lack of unity and clear statistics; take the case of not having clear figures on how much of the Uganda population can be satisfied by the locally produced textile products in Uganda, it has become very difficult for the government of Uganda to be convinced to reduce the amount of imported textiles in the country. Without such clear statistics there is no way even the government can stand to ban the imported textile products take the example of second hand clothes and other already made cheap products that are imported into the country. In addition the existing fashion designers in Uganda are completely on individual basis who in general I would say are there for survival purposes but not to develop the industry.
The country has one of largest integrated mill in the east African region, which is Nyanza Textiles Limited (Nytil) which performs all technical processes on a textile, right from fibre preparatory processes, including spinning to garment construction with the state of the art equipment. Other industries include Phenix logistics Ltd, Fine Spinners (recently opened in Kampala). However, these can not even satisfy the demand for cotton spun yarns in Uganda forcing the consumers of such to import from the neighbouring countries especially Kenya especially when it requires very fine and strong yarns used when knitting finer fabrics/ garments. At one time I interacted with one of the consumers of cotton spun yarns (a registered textile training center) who approached our biggest integrated textile factory for a deal of supply of cotton spun yarns but to their surprise instead of being welcomed, they were advised to make a very exaggerated order that the factory needed to have at hand before any spinning would be made for them; in other words, they were indirectly responding with a negative feedback. The this is the crying giant
Another reason for giant crying is the national textile policy. The National Textile Policy was formulated in 2009, debated and passed, however the implementation of the policy continues to be one of the industry’s biggest challenges. The national textile policy was meant to protect the industry at large.
“The policy implementation intended to put in place various blocks through which the sector would develop. All these were agreed on at Cabinet level but one wonders why there seems to be reluctance in terms of implementation,” says the Uganda Textiles and Garment Manufacturers Association, secretary general. The Chief Executive Officer of Nytil is lamenting about the same thing of the government implementing the Uganda Textile policy, equally the Institutions of higher learning is doing the same, the farmers and traders in textile products are lamenting; now who is not lamenting about this policy?
The National Textile Policy says with an East African population of 120 million people, the region has a market potential that can consume 820 million meters of cloth per annum, generating about ShsShs1.4 trillion. Page 9-23 of the textile policy talks about the support that the government through its different ministries and partner organizations is to provide to the institutions of higher learning which include Kyambogo and Busitema Universities through equipping them with training and hands on work facilities to enable the students to be equipped with the required knowledge and skills which has not been at all implemented despite the so many requisitions that these universities have submitted to the ministry to the ministry of trade, tourism and co-operatives.
Formal Education and Human Resource
Unlike in the past ,Currently Almost every institution of higher learning in Uganda has a textile or textile related course(s) spanning from garment design to advanced chemistry, with two universities (all public) having strong established departments; which are Kyambogo University and Busitema University.
Busitema University textile ginning and engineering department was as the result of the World Bank’s efforts to revive the industry through the introduction and funding of a bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering. Kyambogo University has at least strived to give the country’s economy on average 13graduates every year (Bachelor of Science in Textile and Clothing Technology and Diploma in Textile Design) since 2006 and Busitema University (Bachelor of Textile Engineering and Diploma in Ginning Engineering) since 2013. However, the few existing textile factories and companies are less wiling to take up the professional graduates as they say “are expensive in terms of payment’’ and they resort to on job training employees who are cheap and very willing to grab the small penny collected at the end of the month. In addition, the practioners in the textile industry are very less willing to offer even if a two weeks skills training to graduates as they are very well aware that our Universities do not have enough facilities to equip students with all the necessary skills required for effective production in the industry. This has left a very big gap between the textile students and the textile practioners who ought to be more supportive to students and graduates in a lot of research in the sector especially at university levels. Unless one gets close to the industry so as to analyze the strength, weaknesses and challenges, it is not possible to design a great research topic that will benefit that particular industry.
Despite all present and future advantageous avenues possessed by the textile industry, its current state is worrying.
