Background information
The department of Trade, Industry and Local Economic Development was created in the FY 2017/2018 out of the department of Production and Marketing. However, it became operationally independent in the FY 2019/2020 when a separate vote was created on the Integrated Financial Management System and funds were allocated directly under the vote. The mandate is to steer development through the commercial production of goods and services in order to create employment and business opportunities for wealth creation/ fight poverty which is currently at over 60% in Northern Uganda. This mandate is implemented through 6 sectors below.

Sectors in the Department and their mandates:
1. Trade Development and Promotion which is responsible for Quality and standards supported by UNBS, UBOS, Trade laws, linkage to UEPB
2. Enterprise Development and promotion which is responsible for Business registration mobilization and supportive services
3. Cooperative Development and Promotion which is responsible for mobilization of farmer groups for guidance, training and cooperative formation, supervision on compliance issues. We currently have functional 23 grower cooperative societies, 44 PDM SACCOS, 3 community SACCOS and 32 emyooga SACCOS.
4. Tourism promotion and development which is responsible for mobilization for community tourism development, mapping of tourist attraction sites, registration of hotels and their standardization.
5. Industrial Development and promotion which is responsible for mobilization of farmer groups for linkage to Value addition facilities acquisition, and any other value chain opportunities.
6. Market linkages responsible for mobilizing and linking farmer organizations/groups to bulk market opportunities, other potential buyers and key actors in the market at local, national and international levels.

Staffing position:
Staffing in the department is at only 43% of the establishment as indicated below
S/N Established position Scale Substantive Officer Remarks
1 District Commercial Officer
2 Principal Commercial Officer
4 Senior Commercial Officer
5 Tourism Officer
6 Commercial Officer
6 Wildlife Officer Vacant
7 Conservator Officer Vacant

7. Business opportunities in the district
• Commercial Agriculture
• Agro input dealers both local and foreign.
• Value addition across the value chains both local and foreign
• Real Estate
• Wholesale business
• Financial Services
• Tourism, Hospitality and Hotel
• Transport infrastructure
• Etc
Key challenges and emerging issues.
• Lack of transport means to facilitate monitoring and supervision of the wealth creation programs such as EMYOOGA, PDM, etc
• Inadequate Staffing to supervise the wealth creation programs and the cooperatives
• Budget allocation from central government is small and inadequate to meet the mandates of the department
• Un reliable data on households
• High cost of registration of Cooperatives including SACCOs in terms of requirements
• Low rate of recovery impeding the performance of Emyooga SACCOs
• Poor post-harvest handling leading to low quality produce

Worst performing Emyooga SACCOs that needs special attention (9)
• Nwoya Youth Entrepreneurs SACCO- Low recovery and poor leadership
• Nwoya East Youth Entrepreneurs SACCO- Low recovery and poor leadership
• Nwoya BodaBoda SACCO- low recovery and poor leadership
• Nwoya East Bodaboda SACCO- low recovery and poor leadership
• Nwoya Restaurant Owners SACCO- Low Recovery
• Nwoya East Restaurant SACCO- Low Recovery
• Nwoya Performing Artist SACCO- LowRecovery
• Nwoya East Produce Buyers SACCO- Low Recovery and mind set
• Nwoya Journalist SACCO- Low Recovery and mind set