Museveni Appoints Byarugaba, Sabiti as Senior Presidential Advisors on Exports

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Richard Byarugaba, former Managing Director of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and Moses Sabiti, former Country Director for TradeMark Africa in Uganda and South Sudan, as Senior Presidential Advisors to the Exports and Industry Advisory Secretariat.

According to the appointment instructions, the two will serve as key advisors on exports financing, infrastructure, data, and product aggregation, as part of efforts to strengthen Uganda’s export sector.

The Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) was commissioned in March 2022 to address challenges including limited market access, standards and compliance issues, high logistics costs, and inadequate export financing. The committee has since surpassed its initial export target of USD 6 billion set four years ago and is now seeking to expand its reach by supporting 1,000 new export entities in the agricultural and industrial sectors. PACEID has set a new long-term target of USD 100 billion in exports by 2045.

“I thank the President for responding to our call to bring on board professional and experienced individuals to support our new approach to growing Uganda’s exports,” said Mr. Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairperson of PACEID.

Rwabwogo noted that the committee’s work over the past four years constituted PACEID 1.0, which focused on opening new markets, removing trade barriers, supporting export firms in key sectors, improving compliance standards, and enhancing Uganda’s image as a reliable sourcing hub.

He added that the committee is now transitioning to PACEID 2.0, which will prioritise the use of data for better planning, the establishment of product aggregation centres to address rising demand and supply constraints, and the mobilisation of funding for investment in value addition at these centres.

Mr. Byarugaba previously served as Managing Director of Nile Bank before its acquisition by Barclays Bank, and later led NSSF, where he transformed the institution from an underperforming entity into a highly capitalised fund, growing its assets to over UGX 17 trillion.

Mr. Sabiti spent 17 years at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) as a senior manager before joining TradeMark Africa, where he led efforts to mobilise funding for the construction of border trade and immigration centres in Kasese, Elegu, and Malaba.

The two appointments bring significant experience in exports, finance, and trade facilitation to the advisory secretariat.