President Museveni (left) congratulates some of the award winners at the weekend

By David Muwanga
and Henry Mukasa

THE Picfare Group of Industries has won the President’s Export Platinum Award for the year 2007 for producing unique products and venturing into new ones. The company earned $4.2m from exports and scored highly on corporate social responsibility, innovation and introducing new products on the market.

“It has ventured into the housing sector for the diaspora and printing of security documents,” said the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) executive director, Florence Kata.

This was during the awards ceremony presided over by President Yoweri Museveni at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala over the weekend.

British American Tobacco Uganda (BATU) won Diamond for earning $60.5m in exports, becoming the highest foreign exchange earner. Another 21 companies won Gold for their contribution to charitable organisations, innovation, diversification and market penetration.

They included Uganda Fish Packers ($16m) and Rwenzori Beverages that bagged $5.4m after penetrating the Rwanda, DR Congo (DRC) and Burundi markets. Others are Olam Uganda, which earned $6.9m after diversifying into a range of products in the oil seeds sector.

Also in the same category are Skyfat Tannery Company, which earned $11m after introducing new technologies, Africa Polysack Industries ($2.3m), Phenix Logistics $1.4m after it brought in new technology and penetrated the US quota and tax free African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and European Union markets.

Sadolin Paints earned $1.9m, becoming the best seller of local products abroad. Others are Wispro Uganda ($2.1m), Nile Plywood Company, ($2.5m) and BIDCO ($37.4m).

Mukwano Group of Companies joined them after diversifying into new products, employing over 1,000 people, supporting charity programmes and earning $7.3m from exports.

Nile Breweries got into the category after earning $2.4m, Roofings Limited ($27.9m), Britannia Industries ($10m), Tororo Cement ($16.5m), Megha Industries $2.5m. Uvan Limited earned $1.1m, Icemark Africa ($2.2m),
Wagagai Limited ($4.8m), Esco Uganda ($19.6m) and UGACOF Limited ($49m).

The Silver awards went to Kyagalanyi Coffee ($1.4m), Dunavant Uganda ($5.5m), Uganda Tea Development Agency ($14m), Aponye Uganda ($1m), Marine and Agro ($571,000), Capital Reef Uganda ($613,000), Share Uganda ($1.1m), and Tuff Foam ($1.1m).

The Bronze winners are Senabulya Faizol Kalyango ($530m), Muhumuza Wilson ($0.5m), Tembo Steel Mills ($7m), Crestanks ($0.6m) and Polysack (0.5m). Gourmet King, Alpha Biotech, Elgonia Onecofe, Caring Hands, East Africa Basic Foods, Sameer Livestock, Fish Products Confectioneries, Flona Commodities and Reco Industries, received Presidential Handshake.