Ugandan Economy

According to the CIA World Factbook, an era of economic growth has continued in Uganda since the early 1990s. The government continues to invest in infrastructure, production and export incentives, and domestic security to further that growth. The GDP in 2009 was $1,300 compared to $46,400 in the U.S. Although poverty is defined differently among nations, 35% of the population lives below the poverty line in Uganda as compared to 12% in the U.S.

Agriculture is the most important part of the Ugandan economy, which employs 82% of the workforce (services 13% and industry 5%). The concentration on agriculture makes the economy particularly susceptible to weather conditions and the ability to irrigate crops. Agricultural products concentrate on coffee but also includes tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers (I wonder if they have daisies), beef, goat meat, milk, and poultry. Not surprisingly Ugandan exports include coffee, fish, tea, cotton, flowers. Gold is also a major export in Uganda and much of Africa.

Because of the low emphasis on the service and industry sectors of the economy, Uganda imports primarily capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, and cereals. Twenty years of investment in infrastructure should produce a shift in what makes up the service and industry portion of the economy but such a shift is understandably slow moving.