Our reporter visits the China-Ukraine Mbale Industrial Park —
"The friendship between China and Africa has stood the test of time in the process of jointly moving towards modernization" (China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era)
On a weekday morning, crowds thronged the gates of the Central Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, as young people from the eastern Butaleja region gathered at the park's workshops. The bustling, orderly production site serves as a microcosm of Uganda's industrialization process.
Established in 2018, the China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park has attracted over 70 companies and employed more than 10,000 local workers, and is now a well-known national-level industrial park in East Africa. During his recent visit to the park, Ugandan President Museveni emphasized that "the industrial park model is an important path for Uganda to achieve economic modernization. The successful practice of the China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park has provided valuable experience for Uganda's industrialization, and the series of achievements in China-Uganda cooperation demonstrate the enduring friendship between Africa and China in the process of jointly moving towards modernization."
"The industries that have converged here are closely related to people's lives."
A "crawling mat" is a plastic mat designed and manufactured for infants and toddlers to crawl on. Before the Grace factory in the Uganda Mbale Industrial Park began producing crawling mats in 2021, Ugandan consumers had almost never heard of this product, and local families rarely could afford carpets for their infants to crawl and play on. Henry Kalman, marketing manager of the Grace factory, recalled, "At that time, not only consumers, but most local wholesalers had never seen this product." Now, crawling mats are familiar to the people of Uganda.
Stepping into the production workshop of Grace factory, the reporter witnessed the entire manufacturing process of "crawling mats": packages of materials are shaped into sheets or rolls of different specifications by a foaming film machine, then hydraulically cut and slit, and finally various environmentally friendly colored films are pressed onto the outer layer with hot melt adhesive. The finished products resemble beautiful bed sheets, neatly stacked.
"The 'crawling mat' is very cost-effective and has become a household name in Uganda. Children in rural families can now play on clean and tidy mats," said quality inspector Solnaya. She added that dozens of tons of qualified products enter Uganda and surrounding markets every month.
"Home appliances, daily chemicals, home textiles, building materials, pharmaceuticals, automobile manufacturing... the industries gathered in the park, covering thousands of acres, are closely related to people's lives," said Zhang Zhigang, chairman of the China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park. He added that the initial purpose of building the industrial park was to fill the gaps in related production fields in Uganda, drive local industrial development, and improve employment and people's livelihoods.
After years of development, the number of companies like Grace in the China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park has increased significantly, with their market share expanding year by year. Allawi Semanda, Executive Director of the Uganda Development Observatory, stated, "This proves that the industrial park development model aligns with Uganda's industrialization goals and has immense development potential."
"Vigorously promote the construction of Uganda's modern industrial system"
In recent years, the Ugandan government has vigorously promoted reforms, identifying industrialization as a crucial path to national development. It has attracted foreign investment through preferential policies and established industrial parks. The China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park has attracted international investors, including Chinese companies. The rise of numerous factories has significantly enhanced the scale and level of Uganda's industrial manufacturing, enabling the country's industrial system to move from simple processing of imported materials to the construction of a complete industrial chain.
At Lin's Wood Industry Company in the industrial park, raw materials such as eucalyptus timber and crop straw are being prepared for shipment to the factory's pulping workshop. This company is Uganda's first paper mill to achieve 100% localization from raw materials to finished products. Duis Muya, manager of a supermarket chain in Butaledja, said he plans to increase his orders for Lin's Wood Industry brand toilet paper: "This is locally made virgin wood pulp toilet paper, a three-layer pressed product, affordable, and very popular with locals."
The United Steel Plant, with an investment of US$100 million and an annual production capacity of 700,000 tons, provides Uganda with high-quality steel products such as rebar and coiled steel. Since it began operation at the end of 2024, its products have not only supplied the local market but have also been exported to neighboring countries such as Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Xu Shicun, the plant's chairman, stated that the plant expects to export 30,000 tons of steel products to neighboring countries of Uganda by 2026.
With the commencement of production at Meihao Printing and Dyeing Company, the industrial park has achieved a closed-loop chain from spinning and weaving to printing and dyeing and then to the sale of finished products, with a monthly output of 8 million square meters of fabric, accounting for two-thirds of the total production capacity of Uganda's printing and dyeing industry. Lida Jeans Factory has already achieved a daily output of 15,000 pairs of jeans, and will next use cotton produced in Uganda to weave fabric, completely realizing the localization of garment production.
During his visit to the industrial park, Ugandan State Minister of Foreign Affairs Mulimba stated, "The construction speed and development scale of various factories settling in the park have far exceeded expectations. They have achieved substantial results in creating employment opportunities and enhancing the added value of the local industrial chain, effectively promoting the construction of Uganda's modern industrial system."
"A cradle for attracting foreign investment and cultivating skilled African talent"
The China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park is located approximately 200 kilometers from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and is adjacent to three national highways. The city of Mbale, where it is situated, is a crucial inland transportation hub connecting Uganda to the port of Mombasa in neighboring Kenya, giving it a significant locational advantage. Taking the Grace factory as an example, the company not only exports products such as foam mattresses and quilts to Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but has also established warehouses and a network of agents in Kenya. Tian'ao Furniture Co., Ltd., located within the industrial park, sells its products to major high-end home furnishing stores in Uganda, with 20% of its furniture production exported to Kenya.
“The industrial park is not only a production base for African countries to promote industrialization, but also a cradle for attracting foreign investment and cultivating skilled African talents,” Zhang Zhigang said. “Therefore, the industrial park should not only take root in Uganda, but also serve Uganda.”
Tianjin Vocational College of Industry and Ergun Vocational Technical College have jointly established the Luban Workshop, relying on the China-Ukraine Mbale Industrial Park. The industrial park not only provides the Luban Workshop with approximately 1,800 square meters of practical training space, including equipment for electrical automation technology and CNC machining, but also integrates actual production needs into the teaching process. The teaching team uses the industrial park as its main base to conduct student learning surveys, maintain training equipment, and provide course training, fully embodying the practical orientation of industry-education integration. Since 2020, the Luban Workshop has offered multiple practical training courses, including electrical automation, fitter work, industrial simulation, and CNC machining, training over 1,200 skilled personnel for the industrial park.
Mbale Mayor Qasim Namougali affirmed the positive contribution of the industrial park's construction to youth employment: "Many young people have learned job skills in the factories, which greatly helps the overall development of the region." (People's Daily reporter Zou Song)
