Museveni appoints Byarugaba, Sabiti as senior advisors on exports and industry
According to the appointment instructions, the two will serve as key advisors on exports financing, infrastructure, data systems and product aggregation, areas considered critical to improving Uganda’s export performance and industrial competitiveness.
President Yoweri 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 systems and product aggregation, areas considered critical to improving Uganda’s export performance and industrial competitiveness.
The appointments strengthen the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), which was commissioned in March 2022 to address structural bottlenecks facing exporters, including limited market access, standards and compliance challenges, high logistics costs and inadequate financing.
PACEID has since exceeded its initial USD 6 billion export target set four years ago and is now scaling up its ambitions. The advisory team aims to expand its reach by supporting 1,000 new export-oriented entities across the agricultural and industrial sectors, with a long-term target of USD 100 billion in exports by 2045.
PACEID Chairperson Odrek Rwabwogo welcomed the appointments, describing them as a response to the need for deeper technical and professional capacity as the programme enters a new phase.
“I thank the President for responding to our call to bring in professional and experienced people to support our new approach to growing exports for Uganda,” Rwabwogo said.
He described the past four years as PACEID 1.0, a phase focused on opening new markets, removing trade barriers, supporting export firms in priority sectors, improving compliance with international standards, and strengthening Uganda’s image as a reliable sourcing destination.
Rwabwogo said the committee is now transitioning to PACEID 2.0, which will prioritise data-driven planning, establishment of product aggregation centres to address supply constraints amid rising demand, and mobilisation of financing for value addition investments within these centres.
Byarugaba brings extensive experience in banking and institutional finance. He previously led Nile Bank before its acquisition by Barclays Bank, and later headed NSSF, where he oversaw a major turnaround that saw the fund’s assets grow to over UGX 17 trillion, leaving it highly capitalised.
Sabiti brings deep expertise in public finance and trade facilitation. He spent 17 years at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) as a senior manager before joining Trademark Africa, where he played a key role in mobilising funding for the construction of one-stop border posts and trade and immigration facilities in Kasese, Elegu and Malaba.
The appointments come as government intensifies efforts to reposition exports and industrialisation as key drivers of Uganda’s long-term economic growth.
