Liberia’s Vice President, Jewel Cianeh Taylor, has arrived in Uganda.
Jewel, the wife of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, was received on Monday morning at Entebbe International Airport by incoming State Minister of Trade, David Bahati.
“She (Jewel) is here to explore possibilities of cooperation in areas of Trade, industrialization and infrastructure development,” said Bahati.
The Minister told ChimpReports that Jewel will tour Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP) at Namanve – the largest industrial hub in Uganda sitting on 2600 hectares of land.
The industrial park has attracted over 400 investors for development in various sub-sectors such as agro processing, mineral processing, ICT, logistics and freight, warehousing, general manufacturing as well as tourism promotion activities.
She also will meet with President Museveni at State House Entebbe.
Jewel is one of few women in top political leadership positions in Africa.
She has been championing the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – a major boost for African economies.
“We expect a 52 per cent boost in intra-Africa trade by 2022,” she said.
Africa is the last frontier, with about 40 per cent of the world’s natural resources and the fastest-growing population globally.
If Africa uses this leverage to implement an industrialized revolution, it can have sustained economic growth.
Jewel recently said Africa is “at a point where we need mutually rewarding partnerships, not just grants. It’s time for an African industrial revolution. Africa’s resources have traditionally been taken out of our countries, processed abroad, and brought back. Now, African leaders are saying that we want investors to help build industries that process our natural resources locally. It is not just to take out raw materials.”
