Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) will be disseminating results of the Global Competitiveness Survey 2009/2010 to the academia, civil society organizations, legislators and policy makers in and around Kampala.

Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) will be disseminating results of the Global Competitiveness Survey 2009/2010 to the academia, civil society organizations, legislators and policy makers in and around Kampala.

The half day seminar is scheduled for the 5th of May 2010 at 2:00PM at Makerere University, Senate Building, Lower Conference Hall. The Global Competiveness Report (GCR) provides a unique benchmarking tool for (WEF, 2009):

– Business in developing and guiding investment decisions,

– Government in identifying obstacles to economic growth and assessing the design of better economic policies,

– Academia in analyzing an economy’s current business environment and comparing against other economies,

– Civil society organizations in learning more about how their country’s competiveness compares with that of others.

The data used for the report is collected through the Executive Opinion Survey conducted annually from business executives in over 130 countries, including Uganda. This information is used to assess competitiveness conditions in participating countries as they relate to the global economy. The expert opinion from different business executives is important in bringing light to issues that are of importance to the countries in which they work. Since the same questions are asked in over 130 countries, the responses are ably used to make global comparisons that are indispensable to companies and countries alike because they reveal strengths and weaknesses in different countries that would otherwise not be apparent.

The Survey is intended to enhance the understanding of key factors which determine economic growth and to explain why some countries are much more successful than others in raising income levels and opportunities for their respective populations. Factors used in the report have been grouped into twelve pillars namely; Institutions, Infrastructure, Macro Economy, Health and Primary education, Higher education and training, Goods market efficiency, Labor market efficiency, Financial market sophistication, Technological readiness, Market size, Business sophistication and Innovation (WEF, 2009).

In Uganda, Mr. Asiimwe Delius, a MISR Research Fellow, has been the National Coordinator of the Executive Opinion Survey since 2003. In 2006, linkages were established with other key players/sponsors that include: Competitiveness and Investment Climate Strategy (CICS), National Planning Authority (NPA) and Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), to ensure that the results of the survey are adopted in their plans and create an entry point for the GCR into the Government of Uganda’s policy framework on competitiveness.

In the previous years, results of the GCS have been disseminated to contributors of data in the regional districts of Kampala, Mbarara, Jinja, Lira and Mbale. This year, MISR will in addition present the 2009/2010 results to the academia, civil society organizations, legislators and policy makers at a half day seminar.

This half day seminar aims to meet the following objectives:

– Create awareness on Uganda’s competiveness among key stakeholders,

– Provide a platform for discussion of factors that underpin Uganda’s competitiveness

– Generate policy issues on competitiveness.

Click here to view the seminar programme