Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairman Odrek Rwabwogo has rejected claims that the government committee is operating outside the law, saying its existence and mandate derive directly from President Yoweri Museveni.
Speaking at PACEID headquarters in Naguru on Wednesday, Rwabwogo said the committee was commissioned by Museveni on March 16, 2022, before being placed within the President’s Office on May 25, 2022.
His remarks followed a wave of social-media criticism questioning PACEID’s legal status and authority.
Rwabwogo said he had sought clarification from Museveni on Tuesday and was assured that no directive had been issued terminating the committee.
“I have not issued an order of that nature. Go and work. Go do your work,” Rwabwogo quoted Museveni as saying.
The chairman said the controversy should not obscure what he described as the committee’s central task: helping Uganda move from producing commodities for uncertain markets to building an export economy based on identified international demand.
A coordination role
PACEID was created to advise the President on export and industrial development while bringing together efforts around market access, standards, infrastructure, financing and production.
Rwabwogo said the committee has worked with government agencies and private companies to address Uganda’s longstanding difficulties in accessing international markets.
He cited food safety and product standards as particular concerns, saying Uganda’s agricultural exports have at times suffered reputational damage because of chemical residues and other compliance problems.
He said PACEID has therefore pushed for stronger systems that allow Ugandan products to meet the requirements of international markets.
The committee’s published strategy identifies market access, standards and compliance, infrastructure and affordable financing among the areas requiring intervention.
From $4.5bn to $13bn
Rwabogo said Uganda’s export economy has undergone a major expansion since the committee began its work.
He said the committee initially targeted an additional $6 billion in exports across 13 priority products and sectors.
Uganda’s overall export earnings have since increased sharply, with recent government data showing merchandise exports continuing to grow.
Government figures show June 2026 merchandise exports at about $1.28 billion, up from approximately $1.16 billion a year earlier.
Rwabogo nevertheless acknowledged that PACEID’s next task is more difficult: ensuring Uganda can produce enough goods to meet the markets it opens.
The PACEID 2.0 plan
The committee is now shifting toward what Rwabwogo calls PACEID 2.0, focused on supply-side constraints.
The proposed model includes establishing application and aggregation centres in 18 zones of Uganda, with facilities for cooling, drying, energy and certification.
The idea is to create production hubs capable of supplying a substantial portion of large international orders.
Rwabwogo said Uganda cannot continue securing foreign markets only to lose them because domestic producers cannot provide the required volumes consistently.
Nigeria and the fight for market access
The chairman cited Nigeria as an immediate example.
Uganda’s trade with Africa’s most populous country remains relatively small, and PACEID wants to increase it substantially by addressing tariffs, standards, certification and other barriers.
Rwabwogo said the committee was negotiating with Nigerian representatives over market-access arrangements for Ugandan products.
He said similar work was being undertaken in other international markets, including the United States, Serbia and the wider Balkans.
The test now is delivery
PACEID’s defence comes at a time when Uganda is seeking to diversify its export base and increase the value of goods and services sold abroad.
The committee’s critics are likely to continue questioning its institutional status and the extent of its authority.
But Rwabwogo’s response is that its legitimacy should ultimately be judged alongside the presidential mandate that established it and the results it can deliver.
“We are here and we are working,” he said.
The bigger test, however, will be whether PACEID can help Uganda turn rising export figures into sustained growth in domestic production, jobs and private-sector investment.
