Browsing by Author "Nattabi, Aida K."

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    Development Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment prospects for Uganda’s youth in the Middle East
    (2020) Nattabi, Aida K.; Mbowa, Swaibu; Guloba, Madina; Kasirye, Ibrahim
    The brief examines the likely effects of COVID-19 on Uganda’s semi-skilled youth searching for employment opportunities in the Middle East. Ugandans employed as either semi-skilled or manual labourers in the Middle East increased from over 9,900 in 2010 to 21,000 in 2018. The main driver of labour externalization to the Middle East is the relatively high monthly wages offered for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. Reports show that monthly remunerations range from $225 to $500 for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia; $350-$700 for a factory worker in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia; and $350-$600 for persons in catering services in Qatar and UAE. Likewise, one could earn between $300- $900 as a security guard in both. Uganda’s economy benefited as remittances from the Middle East grew from $51.4 million in 2010 to $309.2 million in 2018; a contribution of 23 per cent of the $ 1.3 billion the country earned through remittances in 2018. COVID-19 pandemic challenges this source of remittances to the Ugandan economy. The expected drop in labour migration to the Middle East brings to fore the need to support growth in other sectors identified in Uganda’s agro-industrialization (AGI) agenda. Alternatives include domestic production of critical supplies for COVID-19 containment, such as masks and sanitizers; expedition of the expansion of the cotton and textile sector to bridge the employment gap for youth and women.
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    Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment prospects for Uganda’s youth in the Middle East
    (Economic Policy Research Centre, 2020) Nattabi, Aida K.; Mbowa, Swaibu; Guloba, Madina; Kasirye, Ibrahim
    The brief examines the likely effects of COVID-19 on Uganda’s semi-skilled youth searching for employment opportunities in the Middle East. Ugandans employed as either semi-skilled or manual labourers in the Middle East increased from over 9,900 in 2010 to 21,000 in 2018. The main driver of labour externalization to the Middle East is the relatively high monthly wages offered for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. Reports show that monthly remunerations range from $225 to $500 for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia; $350-$700 for a factory worker in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia; and $350-$600 for persons in catering services in Qatar and UAE. Likewise, one could earn between $300- $900 as a security guard in both. Uganda’s economy benefited as remittances from the Middle East grew from $51.4 million in 2010 to $309.2 million in 2018; a contribution of 23 per cent of the $ 1.3 billion the country earned through remittances in 2018. COVID-19 pandemic challenges this source of remittances to the Ugandan economy. The expected drop in labour migration to the Middle East brings to fore the need to support growth in other sectors identified in Uganda’s agro-industrialization (AGI) agenda. Alternatives include domestic production of critical supplies for COVID-19 containment, such as masks and sanitizers; expedition of the expansion of the cotton and textile sector to bridge the employment gap for youth and women.
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    Within the EAC, which countries stand to benefit from the implementation of the AfCFTA
    (Economic Policy Research Centre, 2020) Bulime, Enock N.W.; Nattabi, Aida K.; Shinyekwa, Isaac M.B.
    The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will affect EAC countries in terms of tax revenues, trade volumes and poverty. Estimates paint a mixed picture among specific EAC economies regarding the increase in demand following the reduction in tariffs, also known as trade effect. Burundi has the most considerable total trade effect of US$ 9.5 million, followed by Kenya with US$ 5.2 million and Uganda with US$ 4.2 million. On the other hand,Tanzania and Rwanda register adverse total trade effects. All the EAC countries incur tariff revenue losses; for instance, Kenya incurs US$ 14.2 million loss followed by Uganda with a US$ 13.5 million loss. Whereas Uganda and Burundi experience positive welfare effects, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda experience negative welfare effects. To benefit from the AfCFTA, EAC economies need to (i) increase competitiveness to mitigate the negative impact of trade diversion (ii) pursue policies that promote industrialisation and (iii) compensate for the customs revenue loss by leveraging the envisaged increase in the trade volumes and value for other taxes.