The Negotiation Lab was commissioned by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in November 2007 to research, write and produce a training video of its Business Linkages Program in Uganda The video was shown at the UNCTAD XII quadrennial conference in Accra, Ghana on April 24, 2008, and also on the Ugandan National Television Channel. The three month project included an 11-day field trip to Kampala.
The Negotiation Lab was commissioned by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in November 2007 to research, write and produce a training video of its Business Linkages Program in Uganda The video was shown at the UNCTAD XII quadrennial conference in Accra, Ghana on April 24, 2008, and also on the Ugandan National Television Channel. The three month project included an 11-day field trip to Kampala.
The main objective of UN program in Uganda is to enhance the productive capacity, efficiency and competitiveness of the domestic private sector by promoting durable and mutually beneficial partnerships between affiliates of Transnational Corporations and large local companies and small to medium size firms (SMEs). The video has also been used by UNCTAD to demonstrate the business linkage program to new clients in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
Empirical evidence shows that strong business linkages can be one of the most effective ways for businesses to integrate, grow and secure footholds in emerging markets. The Business Linkage Programs are currently operational in Brazil, Uganda and Viet Nam and build on UNCTAD’s research and practical experience in the area of small and medium–sized enterprise (SME) development and entrepreneurship.
The key activities of the programme include:
In Uganda, six firms have linked with 26 local businesses to streamline their supply chains. The linkages will support a host of local farmers, manufactures and distributors. For example, Uganda Breweries will assist in upgrading over 2,000 farmers. In Western Uganda, Kinyara Sugar Works Limited strengthened its link with Kinyara Sugarcane Growers Limited, thereby benefiting about 2,500 local farmers.
UNCTAD’s partners in the Business Linkages Program in Uganda include Enterprise Uganda, the Uganda Investment Authority, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Government of Uganda.
Production credits for the video: Written and Directed by Samuel Passow; Narrated by Paul Bakibinga; Camera Crew: Bart Kakooza, Emmanuel Mulindwa, Jean-Philippe Escard; Music by Richard Kawesa; Video Graphics and Editing by Karen Barber, Photos and Graphic Images from Dreamstime.com.