Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) Chairman Odrek Rwabwogo has dismissed claims circulating on social media that the committee is operating illegally, saying it was established by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2022 and continues to execute a presidential mandate aimed at expanding Uganda’s export economy.
Speaking at a press conference at PACEID headquarters in Naguru on Wednesday, Rwabwogo said the committee was commissioned on March 16, 2022, with a mandate covering market access, standards and compliance, export infrastructure and financing.
He said President Museveni subsequently placed PACEID within the President’s Office on May 25, 2022, further strengthening its institutional position.
“The President who appointed us, who gave us the mandate on 16 March 2022, and renewed it by locating us in the President’s Office on 25th of May of the same year, is the only one who can say you are no longer in operation,” Rwabwogo said.
His remarks followed a social media backlash questioning PACEID’s legal and institutional status.
Rwabwogo said he sought clarification from President Museveni over the allegations and was told to continue with the committee’s work.
“I asked him yesterday. He said, ‘I have not issued an order of that nature. Per se, go and work. Go do your work,’” Rwabwogo said.
From Market Access to Export Capacity
PACEID’s published mandate describes the committee as an intervention aimed at removing strategic and operational bottlenecks limiting Uganda’s industrial and export potential.
Its work is organised around four broad areas: markets, standards, infrastructure and finance.
Rwabwogo said the approach was designed to move Uganda away from what he described as “blind trade”—producing goods without adequately securing markets—and towards a system in which international demand drives production.
The committee has prioritised key export areas including coffee, tea, fruits and vegetables, beef, dairy, vanilla, grains, sugar, fish, banana flour, flowers, tourism, cement and steel.
Its initial objective was to generate an additional $6 billion in export earnings.
PACEID says its first phase focused on opening markets, removing trade barriers, improving product standards and compliance, supporting export firms, and addressing logistics and financing constraints.
The committee has now moved into what it calls PACEID 2.0, with greater emphasis on addressing supply constraints and building the infrastructure required to fulfil international orders.
Uganda’s Export Earnings Rise
Uganda’s export earnings have increased substantially since PACEID was established, although the growth cannot be attributed to the committee alone.
Uganda’s export earnings rose from about $4.28 billion in 2022 to approximately $13.43 billion in 2025, according to figures cited in a recent interview with Rwabwogo.
Government data also shows continued export growth in 2026. Merchandise export earnings reached $1.284 billion in June 2026, an 11% increase from $1.157 billion recorded in June 2025.
The increase was driven by higher earnings from commodities including gold, cotton, electricity, tobacco, maize and flowers.
The figures provide context for PACEID’s argument that Uganda’s export strategy is producing measurable results. However, the wider growth reflects the combined contribution of government policy, private-sector investment, commodity prices, increased production and the work of several public institutions—not PACEID alone.
Building an Export Ecosystem
Rwabwogo said the committee’s next challenge is no longer simply finding buyers but ensuring Uganda can consistently supply them.
Under PACEID 2.0, he said the committee intends to establish application and aggregation centres across 18 zones, equipped with facilities such as cooling, drying, energy and certification services.
The objective is to enable Uganda to meet a significant share of large international orders rather than repeatedly losing markets because producers cannot supply sufficient volumes or meet required standards.
“We have decided now to switch to what we call PACEID 2.0—to deal with supply constraints,” Rwabwogo said.
The approach is consistent with PACEID’s published strategy, which identifies inadequate production capacity, poor infrastructure and standards, and high financing costs as some of the key constraints holding back export growth.
PACEID’s activities have also increasingly focused on connecting individual producers and companies with international buyers.
The committee reported that during the first half of 2026, it registered 88 export transactions worth $24.5 million and supported 70 Ugandan companies across priority export value chains.
Nigeria Becomes the Next Test
Rwabwogo pointed to Nigeria as an example of PACEID’s market-access strategy.
He said Uganda’s trade with Nigeria has historically remained low, and PACEID is targeting a substantial increase by addressing tariff, standards, certification and other market-access barriers.
The chairman said the committee was negotiating with Nigerian trade representatives to improve the conditions under which Ugandan products enter the Nigerian market, including the implementation of agreed African trade arrangements.
Such work, he argued, requires officials and trade representatives on the ground who understand the regulatory, standards and market requirements of destination countries.
PACEID says it has established trade representatives in markets including the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, the Balkans and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of its strategy to connect Ugandan producers with international buyers.
PACEID’s Role Alongside Existing Institutions
The controversy surrounding PACEID also highlights an important distinction: the committee does not replace Uganda’s established ministries, regulators and statutory agencies.
Its stated role is advisory and coordination-oriented, bringing together market intelligence, standards, infrastructure, financing and production concerns around export opportunities.
Many of the functions mentioned by Rwabwogo—including food safety, certification, transport infrastructure and financing—remain the responsibility of established government institutions and regulators.
PACEID’s argument is that Uganda needs stronger coordination among those institutions if it is to compete effectively in international markets.
In 2026, President Museveni appointed Richard Byarugaba and Moses Sabiti as Senior Presidential Advisors on exports and industrial development, with responsibilities covering export funding, infrastructure, data and product aggregation.
The Uganda Broadcasting Corporation has also described PACEID as the President’s advisory team on exports and industrial development and reported that it was commissioned in March 2022.
“We Are Here and We Are Working”
For Rwabwogo, the controversy should not distract from PACEID’s central objective of increasing Uganda’s ability to earn from international trade.
He said PACEID began with limited credit support for enterprises but has since helped create channels through which Ugandan businesses can participate in export transactions.
He estimated that companies supported by the committee are now supplying products worth between $20 million and $30 million per quarter, involving more than 60 companies across approximately 13 sectors.
“We are here and we are working and we are humble, but very effective at what we do,” he said.
The defence comes as Uganda seeks to turn rising export earnings into broader industrial transformation.
The challenge ahead is less about proving that exports are growing and more about whether the country can sustain that growth through higher productivity, stronger standards, reliable infrastructure, affordable finance and consistent supply.
For PACEID, that is the rationale behind its second phase: converting market opportunities into dependable production capacity and ensuring Ugandan businesses can fulfil the orders the committee is working to secure.
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