Ugandan president bans importation of second-hand clothes

KAMPALA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) 

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has banned the importation of second-hand clothes as a move to support home brands and local employment.

Starting Sept. 1, no used clothes will be imported into the country, Museveni said at the commissioning of 15 factories in the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, eastern Uganda, on Thursday.

 "The clothes are shipped here for our people to purchase and wear. I wonder who collects them and brings them here. I have decided to put my foot down and say no to imported second-hand clothes," the president said in a televised speech.

Museveni thanked the Chinese who had set up factories at the industrial park for creating jobs and manufacturing brand-new products such as clothes and electronics.

"Today, I have commissioned 15 factories and broken the ground for another nine. A total of 2,000 jobs and 40 factories have been established," the president said.

He also said that starting Sept. 1, "all electricity meters and cables will be sourced from our local manufacturers here at Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park."

The industrial park, commissioned in 2018, can house 55 factories and employ 15,000 people when at full capacity.