Free Economics Dissertations - Landlocked From All Sides, Uganda Is Geographically Located In The East Part
Landlocked from all sides, Uganda is geographically located in the east part of Africa. On the eastern side Uganda has a common border with Kenya, while her northern neighbours comprise of the states of Ethiopia and Sudan. Uganda's western neighbour is the Republic of Congo, while the small state of Rwanda has common borders at the south of Uganda. Uganda gained independence from her British colonial rulers in 1962. In comparison to her immediate neighbours, Uganda has boasted of skilled manpower, a well-managed and serviced agricultural sector, and one of the leading producers of Robusta coffee in the world. Other vital crops include tea and coffee produce, while the northern regions of Uganda are known for their cotton and cattle production.
A glimpse at the economy of this East African country shows that immediately after gaining independence in 1962 till 1971, Ugandan economy witnessed economic growth at a healthy 5 percent per year. This economic growth was supplemented with similar rate of progress in the areas of industry, manufacturing, and a home market, all of which paved the path for rapid industrialization. Tourism too enjoyed a healthy status, and ranked third after coffee and cotton. Even the resource endowment segment of the economy showed a healthy profile, as the nation enjoyed a per capita income comparable with then Malaysia. Later decades however witnessed Malaysia emerge as one of the Asian Tigers, whereas Uganda's economy spiralled to the depths of poverty and riddled with huge debts from continuous political turmoil, economic chaos and massive violence unleashed by the state and the 'quasi-state armed groups'. In direct contrast, Malaysia today enjoys a healthy US3,890 dollars per capita income, which is approximately 16 times that of Uganda. The period between the years 1965 and 1986 was filled with turmoil in Uganda, with manufacturing output declining from 3.7 percent in 1965 to 0.3 percent by 1986. It was only after the decade of 1980, when Uganda began to witness signs of economic growth, which can partly be attributed to the policies initiated first by President Milton Obote, and then by President Museveni. (Bonger, 2005)
In comparison to the rest of the countries of the third world, Uganda's name perhaps tops the list as it has successfully graduated from a number of adjustment and structural reforms initiated by the said global institutions. With particular reference to the years 2000 to 2002, the IMF, the World Bank, the Government of Uganda, and the civil society organizations all owe their credit to the exemplary governance, transparency and economic growth witnessed in the said period of two years.
