Kampala – Hon. David Bahati, the State Minister for Industry at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has cautioned the UIRI board against overlapping their roles with those of management so as to avoid conflicts which tend to happen.
“The responsibilities of the Board and that of management under the Executive Director are clearly spelled out. The Ministry therefore expects an harmonize working relationship between the two.
The Board is composed of diverse professions with a wealth of experience, which will bring diverse perspectives to the Board’s decisions on strategic issues of the Institute.” Remarked Bahati at the inauguration of the new Board.
The Minister also thanked the Chairman and Members of the Board for accepting the appointment thus commending the relevance of the board for this institution which has been in existence since 17th July 2017.
“I congratulate you on your appointment to the Board and I have the trust and confidence that the Board will diligently contribute towards the development of Uganda Industrial Research Institute to enable it to effectively contribute towards the socio-economic transformation of Uganda.”
Rtd. Gen. Koreta pledged to work with the management of UIRI to drive innovation, value addition, develop appropriate technologies in order to create a competitive industrial sector.
Other members on the board include; Ms. Jolly K. Kaguhangire – Member ,Dr. Catherine Wandera – Member , Ms.Magdalene Akite – Mwmber, Ramathan Ggoobi – Ex-Official, Dr. Joshua Mutambi – Ex-Official and Prof. Charles Kwesiga – Secretary.
Two broad objectives of the Institute are outlined under Section 4 of the Uganda Industrial Research Institute Act 5 of 2006. Section 5 of the Act outlines eleven (11) functions. They can be put under five broad functions:
To carry out applied research for the development of products and provide platforms for innovation, application of science and technology.
To develop/acquire appropriate technologies in order to create a strong, effective and competitive industrial sector.
To promote value addition activities so as to transform local raw materials into competitive marketable products.
To bridge the gap between academia, government, and the private sector and to enhance commercialization of R&D.
To undertake business incubation and provide analytical laboratory services.
From the five broad functions, we can see that UIRI is a critical player in the promotion of industrialization and socio-economic transformation of Uganda.
The functions of the Board, which is derived from Section 7 of the Act, was clearly spelled out in your appointment letters. I would like to add that you are in-charge of the overall governance and strategic planning of the Institute. You are appointed to provide oversight, strategic direction, and to ensure transparency and accountability in the delivery of public services.
Given the importance of the Institute, the Ministry went through a meticulous process, including security vetting, to ensure that the Chairman and all the Members of the Board are proven performers and persons of high integrity.
