Growing trade between Sudan and Uganda in spite of tension

By G. KAMUZE, The East African (Kenya)

KAMPALA, Nov. 03, 2003 — Trade between Uganda and Sudan is growing in spite of the war of words between them, officials of the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) said last week.

Exports from Uganda to Sudan rose from only $4 million in 1997 to over $5.7 million in 2002.

Over the past few months, relations between the two countries have improved, after sinking to their lowest in 1995, leading Uganda to close the Sudanese embassy in Kampala.

At the height of animosity between Uganda and Sudan in 1997, the two countries were accusing each other of supporting dissidents against each other.

Uganda accused Sudan of supporting the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army, while Khartoum accused Uganda of supporting the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army based in southern Sudan. Both countries denied the charges.

However, Sudanese President Omar Bashir has visited Kampala thrice in the past 12 months and both countries have reopened their embassies.

Sudan has promised to import more agricultural produce, especially coffee and tea.

Uganda’s exports to Sudan include coffee, tea and foodstuffs. An official of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority said that Sudan was one of the leading importers of Ugandan coffee in Africa, but the political relations between the two countries had affected the growth of trade.

The official, who declined to be named, said, “With improved relations between the two countries, exports to Sudan should improve.” He said Sudan was importing Ugandan coffee despite the latter country not marketing it in the former. “It would do better if we were to promote it,” said the official.

Sudan also imports large volumes of tea from Uganda, but the security situation in southern Sudan has hampered the transportation of the commodity, forcing exporters to airfreight their goods, incurring high expenses.

The figures released by UEPB last week, however, do not reflect the actual trade, especially in southern Sudan, where most of it is informal.

The figures show that outside Europe, Uganda exports more to Kenya than to any other country and that export earnings have been improving over the years.

In 1997, for example, the country exported goods worth $17 million to its eastern neighbour, a figure which rose to $61 million last year.

However, trade between Uganda and Kenya is 4:1 in favour of the latter. Ugandan exports to Kenya are mostly food items such as maize, beans and bananas.