EAC Industrial Upgrading and Modernisation Programme Objectives

Posted in Industrialization & SME Development

The global objective of the Industrial Upgrading and Modernisation Programme (IUMP) in the East African region is to contribute to the economic growth, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, and to facilitate regional socio-economic, industrial and trade integration of the East African countries through increasing regional capacities for value-added generation, economic diversification and specialisation, and employment creation.

Specific objectives

The Programme will focus on sustaining Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ (SMEs) growth and upgrading to the internationally competitive levels, and supporting intra-regional partnerships and inter-regional market integration so as to prepare the countries for the market liberalisation and opening to foreign trade and investment. The programme pursues the following specific objectives:

1. to render institutional and regulatory framework favourable and conducive to the development and improvement of competitiveness of domestic small and medium-sized producers;
2. to establish / strengthen capacities of the national / regional technical support / business advisory infrastructure with focus on the creation and development of SMEs;
3. to develop and improve productivity and competitiveness of local manufacturing enterprises through enhancing investment, export and employment opportunities of selected private sector enterprises operating along the priority industrial sectors; and
4. to facilitate scientific, technical and business transfer of modern technologies and innovation practices and their industrial application in the EAC states, and to promote exchange, collaboration and partnerships in this area with industrialised developing and developed countries.

Priority Sectors for the Pilot Phase

Factoring in all the contributions of the experts and sectoral priorities of the region, the IUMP will focus on the following three (3) priority sector value chains in the pilot phase of the programme implementation:

• agro-food industries,
• leather and leather products, and
• pharmaceuticals.