Civil society Organizations (CSOs) and representatives from the private sector demand that the government review the stimulus package instituted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the statement released by the CSOs that included SEATINI Uganda, Oxfam, Federation for Small and Medium Enterprises and Uganda Small Scale Industry Association, the stimulus package has not yet reached many of the intended beneficiaries though it is now 13 months since the government issued the packages.
The program Assistant, Women and Economic Justice SEATINI, Joanita Nassuna, says that the government should review and refocus the stimulus packgeas on re-organizing the long standing production and productivity challenges facing the key actors like farmers, MSMEs among others.
Nassuna explains that the conditions put on the funds in Uganda Development Bank as one of the hosts of the package are only favoring the big investors leaving out the SMEs who are the majority.
John Walugembe, the Executive Director, Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (FSMEs), says that the government needs to establish other associations to deal directly with the MSMEs that were intended to benefit from the stimulus package.
He says that of the 100,000 members under the FSMEs Association across the country none has accessed the money even after applying for it.
