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Full meaning African Union Community of Sahel–Saharan States Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Community of West African States Foreign direct investment Gross domestic product Inclining block tariff(s) International Monetary Fund Independent power producer Kilowatt Kilowatt hour Liquid petroleum gas Megawatt Pay as you go Power purchase agreement Private public partnership Standard and Poors Global Ratings Sub-Saharan Africa Transmission and distribution Time of use West African Economic and Monetary Union United Nations Industrial Development Organization Value added tax World Bank Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy General government debt-to-GDP ratio measures the gross debt of the general government as a percentage of GDP. Debt is calculated as the sum of the following liability categories (as applicable): currency and deposits; debt securities, loans; insurance, pensions and standardised guarantee schemes, and other accounts payable. This percentage is calculated from the number of mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 adults. Occasionally a single user will have more than one mobile subscription and so it is possible for this value to exceed 100%. 190 countries ranked This includes all renewable energy sources (solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal and biomass and waste), and excludes large hydro (above 50 MW) and nuclear. Disclosed share of foreign investment in the clean energy sector (of both local and foreign investment in clean energy, this tells us the amount of foreign investment in clean energy). This includes all renewable energy sources (solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal and biomass and waste), and excludes large hydro (above 50 MW) and nuclear. As per the EAC CET 2017 As per the EAC CET 2017 As per the EAC CET 2017. For less common battery technologies the duty is 35% As per the VAT Act (Chapter 349) of 2005. Amendment Acts were perused to check for any changes and none were found. As per the VAT Act (Chapter 349) of 2005. Amendment Acts were perused to check for any changes and none were found. As per the VAT Act (Chapter 349) of 2005. Amendment Acts were perused to check for any changes and none were found. The median time (the value for 50 percent of shipments) from port of discharge to arrival at the consignee. Refers to all types of entry ports. Unit is days. Year is 2018, unless specified otherwise. The real economic growth, or real GDP growth rate, measures economic growth as it relates to the GDP from one period to another, adjusted for inflation, and expressed in real terms as opposed to nominal terms. The real economic growth rate considers inflation in its measurement of economic growth, unlike the nominal GDP growth rate, which does not. 167 countries ranked. Scores are averaged across 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 with the last year weighing most of the score. See "Source" below for more details.

The components analysed in the International LPI include:
• The efficiency of customs and border management clearance;
• The quality of transport infrastructure;
• The ease of arranging shipments;
• The quality of logistics services;
• The ability of tracking and tracing;
• The frequency with which shipments reach consignees within expected delivery times.

Overview

Uganda’s economy reported healthy growth of 4.9% in 2019, similar to 5% in 2017 and down slightly from 6.3% in 2018. Despite this contraction, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 12% to €690 in 2019, following a steady growth trend in preceding years. National debt increased by almost 10% since 2015 to 43.6% of GDP in 2019. The country’s Standard and Poor’s (S&P) investment rating remains unchanged at B since 2015, while Moody’s downgraded it from B1 to B2 in 2016.

Inflation in Uganda increased marginally from 2.8% in 2018 to 2.9% in 2019 but remained well below the 5.5% mark observed during the three years before. The Ugandan shilling (USh) has been steadily depreciating toward USh4000 to the euro after a peak of around USh4500 in the first quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, the currency value has remained firm against the US dollar, with prices averaging around USh3670 since 2017. In both instances, quarterly exchange rate volatility has been limited and rarely exceeded 3%.

Net inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) has enjoyed strong growth in recent years. Following a slight decline in 2016 to €570 million, investment volumes exceeded €1.1 billion in 2018. Investment inflows have also outpaced production, increasing from 2.6% of GDP in 2016 to more than 4.8% in 2018. The organisation responsible for promoting and managing investment in the country is the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA). The authority initiates and enhances support measures to investors while advising the government on enabling policies.

In contrast to growth observed from FDI, clean energy investment declined almost five fold between 2017 and 2018. From a high of €239 million in 2015, annual volumes dropped significantly to €161 million in 2016 and to around €29 million in 2018. Despite the decline in volumes, proportional foreign investment remained stable, accounting for 78% and 79% of total investment in the sector in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The country offers incentives for renewable energy but some technologies are afforded more incentives than others. Solar panels are most favourable as they are exempt from VAT and incur no import duties. Sale of wind turbines are charged the standard VAT rate of 18%, yet are not charged import duties. Batteries incur an 18% VAT charge. In accordance with East African tariff policies, standard batteries incur a 25% import duty and less common batteries incur a 35% duty.
Regional affiliation
AU, COMESA, EAC, ICGLR
Official language(s)
English, Swahili
National currency
Ugandan shilling
Presence of port
No
Uganda uses Kenya's Mombasa port. Connected by rail and road. Distance approx 1,150 km
Next planned election and cycle length

2021 (5-year cycle)

Demographics

Population
% urban population of total population
% rural population of total population
Population growth rate
Working age (15-64) share of total population
Working age (15-64)
Rest of population
Urbanisation rate (% urban population growth)

Connectivity

Mobile telecom operators
Africell
Airtel/Warid
MTN
Smart
Smile
UTL
All three connectivity indicators
% penetration of mobile cellular subscriptions
% penetration of mobile money
% population with access to internet

Logistics, Import duties and value added tax

Logistics

Median lead time to import
2018
14 days
Aggregated Logistics Performance Index ranking
2018
72

Import Duties and Value-Added Tax

Import Duties
Solar panels
Wind turbines
Batteries (for renewable energy storage)
VAT
Solar Panels
Wind turbines
Batteries (for renewable energy storage)

Business intelligence

Energy Ranking

Climatescope ranking
2019
18
2018
25
2017
17
2016
7
2015
9
WB RISE ranking
2018
81
2016
59
2014
Not ranked

Economy

GDP
Real GDP growth
GDP/capita, real
SSA average
GDP/capita, real
SSA average
GDP/capita, real
Debt to GDP ratio (gross debt)
Inflation rate
Exchange rate
Currency exchange rate vs. EUR and USD
Currency exchange rate vs. EUR
Currency exchange rate vs. USD
Total volume of clean energy investment
% foreign investment in clean energy
2018
79.00%
2017
78.00%
Methodologies
Get to know how this Country Brief was developed
Read more
Contact
Questions or feedback are always welcome
info@get-invest.eu