Set The RECORD Straight
All this sounds promising and surely, it will be great when all these projects and dreams come to fruition.
So the question remains, why is it a hard sale? Ugandans are excited about the prospects, most of them anyway- not that we have talked to all 38 million of them but since we also count, we are going to be inclusive in our piece.
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That excited is however with caution. It is not the first time the euphoria of something new has been ruined by reality and man-made limitations. Mind you, we have been independent since 1962 and we have enjoyed unmatched peace, stability and development under a government we have had since 1986. That says a lot about our desire for continuity and peace.
On the other hand, the manufacturers in Uganda have resorted to reminding us that their products are manufactured in Uganda, by Ugandans for Ugandan consumption therefore we can all relax because the Chinese are not taking over our industries yet. At least now, we can pretend to see less “made in China” and “made in Kenya” products to “made in Uganda.”
But what is “made in Uganda? Really? The marketing departments at the different companies may be at fault for this misplaced notion of driving Uganda patriotism to consume the locally made products. Instead of focus on the quality of the product and service, they have somehow decided that slapping the “made in Uganda” or Ugandan authentic label will do the trick. Sorry but your market analysis is flawed.
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The average Ugandan consumer is not only price sensitive as the case may be but also quality sensitive. Blame it on the global exposure (globalization and trade), neo-colonization and a crying out need for value of their money.
For that very reason, Ugandan manufactures and marketers need to move away from the mere “made in Uganda” labelling to the created, used and approved in Uganda brand after all, just because something is made in one place it doesn’t mean it was created there. Great examples of this are seen in the auto industry and with the standard measure of smartphones- Apple’s iPhones.
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Give us more than a label and maybe, just maybe, we will give up our hard-earned shillings without a second thought! Take a leaf from the expensive but worthwhile tourism industry. [Haha, more on them in our next piece!]
The “made in Uganda” brand referred to in this article should not be confused with the website Made in Uganda [www.madeinug.com] which is actually quite a fantastic way to experience the authenticity of Uganda but rather a general description of items, products, services and developments in the country.