NARO has today signed a memorandum of understanding with Movit. The five-year agreement will see the production of NARO prototypes tailored for the cosmetic industry.
This public-private partnership is part of NARO Uganda’s strategies to widen the scope of its research and development efforts in the market. Through this, NARO expects to contribute to providing employment opportunities to young people and increase revenue flow to support research endeavors.
In his remarks in the NARO secretariat boardroom, Dr. Yona Baguma, the Director General of NARO, said that on a daily basis, in every household in Uganda, NARO is somewhere in the equation. This is either at breakfast, lunch, or dinner time. He acknowledges the support that NARO gets from the government of Uganda and development partners. “We are partnering with that private sector for impact. Over the years, coffee has been known as a beverage, but of late, a number of other uses have been added to it, especially in the cosmetic industry.
As a result of the partnership between NARO and Movit, the DG said there are three perspectives to it.
- The partnership will broaden the value of the coffee sub-sector.
- It will contribute to human well-being.
- It will make money. From which the proceeds will be plowed back into research and development in the country.
He said that making the business of the homegrown product is a very good start. “Once you taste it, you will see that NARO has products that are sweet and will give you a happy balance sheet at the end of the year. I can’t wait to see the products from this.”
He concluded by thanking the chair of Movit for taking an interest in NARO and congratulating him and his team on this.
The Movit group chairman, Salongo Birungi, said Movit is a big brand that started in 1989 with a big market demand. It is currently exporting to 12 countries within East and Central Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Angola. They also have an overflow into the USA and Australia.
They are into hair and body care products, with six brands, and are pleased with and have a lot of interest in working with NARO. “I am happy that they are working with homegrown products.”
Quality and consistency are something they take seriously, and their target market is the whole of Africa.
The MOU covers a 5-year period and will see Movit scale out NARO prototypes that are suited for the cosmetic industry. This is a big development in ensuring that all NARO efforts end up in the market and therefore causing economic impact.