Uganda Pitching for Product Innovation to Curb Heavy Imports 

(3 Minutes Read) 

With Uganda’s merchandise trade deficit surpassing $300 million in August 2024, the push for import substitution has never been more critical. One entrepreneur is stepping up to the challenge, transforming cow tails into durable, locally made shoe brushes to reduce reliance on imports.

Many organizations promote local innovation to stem excessive imports. The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship, Muwanguzi exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit by tackling local issues with locally sourced solutions. Ugabrush, crafted from indigenous materials, is gentler on leather compared to imported alternatives.

Muwanguzi is currently establishing a factory to realize his vision of becoming Uganda’s leading brush manufacturer and expanding across Africa, where he plans to employ local citizens at fair wages, thereby strengthening local economies.

 Read Also:

https://trendsnafrica.com/kenyas-kisumu-port-cargo-volumes-up-on-higher-uganda-imports/

Enoch Muwanguzi is a 2021 Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Program Alumnus. The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation fellowship offers aspiring African entrepreneurs the opportunity to bring their ideas to life, by providing non-dilutive seed funding, mentorship, and resources. In 2019, Enoch Muwanguzi founded Ugabrush, to harness his entrepreneurial vision to increase local employment and take pride in locally manufactured goods.