Mbarara District has promoted and established the Local economic development (LED) initiatives aimed at managing resources and to stimulate the local economy. The results of the LED initiative includes improvement in the local economic and tax base.

Mbarara District has focused attention to LED and wealth creation trough a people, public, private partnership strategy. This is evident in joint committees, contracting for infrastructure development and maintenance. LED is also being realized through a number of avenues such as:

• Improving the state of basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water.
• We promote local enterprise development, aimed at stimulating economic growth in the district, including large, medium, small and micro enterprises in both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.
• Local economic governance is enhanced based on better management, accountability and transparency.
• The district has established a Local Economic Investment Committee/Forum, whose main role is to identify local opportunities (such as land, serviced with utilities and infrastructure) to market to investors from within and outside Uganda.

With LED, the capacity of the local economy, to generate wealth and quality of life for all, is being built. Local entrepreneurs have positioned themselves to take advantage of the global, national and local opportunities.

The local economy is dominated by small scale businesses, service sector companies and manufacturers. There is enhanced use of ICT (telecommunications, mobile money and phones), presence of tour service providers and growth in the financial sector. So far, the Central Bank and 14 commercial banks have established branches. Others are 50 SACCOs; a branch of NSSF; and 6 insurance companies. The district through partnerships has attracted investment by a number of industries involved in manufacturing of soft drink, beer, steel, food processing (honey and cereals), dairy processing, wine producers, coffee processing and a printing press amongst others.

The growth of the local economy was possible by employing a pro-people approach in transforming households to achieve food security, improve nutrition and stabilize incomes. Household incomes is realized through livestock, fisheries and crop farming. The economy is further supported through employment income, which accounts for 4%, trade in agricultural produce (2.8%), and trade in non-agricultural products (2.6%); and other income generating activities (0.9%). Download LED Strategy (PDF - 592KB) and LED Guide (PDF - 553KB)