The Uganda Services Exporters' Association (USEA) is a voluntary non profit Non Governmental Organization registered and incorporated in August 1998 as a Company Limited by Guarantee.

With fifteen founder members, the Association was formed following a resolution at an UNCTAD/WTO/ITC sponsored Workshop organized by the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) between June 4th and 6th 1997 in Kampala on the theme " Increasing Service Exports Under GATS" for stakeholders in the services industry.

The Association has a mission to evolve into a strong voice for service providers and exporters to government and be a link with service industry coalitions in other countries.

OBJECTIVES

• To increase the visibility of Uganda's service industry and therefore improve it's profile. So that service exports are seen as being as important as merchandise exports to the country's development.
• Foster the improvement of the quality of Ugandan services as both domestic inputs and as exports. In addition, establish a vision of excellent customer service to which all service providers must aspire.
• To encourage and increase access to and the use of information technology as the new arena for successful service exports.
• Establish an accurate database of trade statistics on the services market for domestic and international use to become a local focal point for service market information on export opportunities.
• Evolve into a strong lobby to influence Government pursue policies and reforms that will encourage the growth of the service sector especially exports.
• Facilitate strategic alliances among local service firms and between local and foreign firms.

BACKGROUND

The service industry and exports though largely invisible contribute an increasingly big percentage of Uganda's Gross National Income (GNP). They provide critical but unacknowledged support to all domestic activities besides earning foreign exchange.

Services account for over 70% of the value-added to manufactured goods and agricultural products hence both service suppliers and goods producers are dependent directly on the quality of service inputs for their competitiveness. In addition, service firms purchase up to 60% of the equipment and supplies produced by the manufacturing sector, therefore sustainable growth of the manufacturing sector depends heavily on having a growing service sector. Therefore, government emphasis on increasing agricultural and industrial output without giving reciprocal attention to the service sector is fundamentally wrong since it's oblivious to the fact that the cost, quality and availability of support services are what constitute a competitive advantage for our exports in the global market.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) will increase the rate of growth in this sector even further and completely liberalise the global service market environment. As a result of this agreement, the International Trade Centre (ITC) forecasts that in the next five years the trade in services especially in the developing and transitional economies will contribute upto a third of all their exports. This will create unprecedented opportunities for Ugandan service firms abroad but also open Uganda's domestic market to foreign service providers.

If Ugandan service firms are to take advantage of these opportunities and thrive in an increasingly competitive domestic and international market they must not only meet but actually exceed international quality standards and incorporate information technology in their delivery of services. Service firms and providers MUST be mobilized and organized to put these issues into their true perspective and meet the challenge of surviving the new millennium as a strong and prosperous industry.

USEA seeks to act deliberately to encourage, mobilise and openly promote stakeholders in the service business.

For More information go to the USEA WEBSITE