By Mulengera Reporters
Priya Chana, the no-nonsense Associate Director for Strategy at Equity Group, has come out guns blazing, calling out Africa’s economic mess and warning Uganda to wake up or remain beggars in their own backyard.
While speaking during a high-level virtual session hosted by Equity Bank Uganda on Thursday 24th April, Chana told Ugandan business leaders and private sector players that they are sitting on gold mines but acting like they have nothing.
The session was meant to showcase investment opportunities in Uganda, but quickly turned into an economic awakening as Chana unveiled the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), a mega strategy by Equity Group aimed at transforming Africa’s wealth into real power.
“Africa is exporting raw resources and importing poverty, which must stop,” Chana said, pointing out that the country continues to lose billions by failing to invest in value addition, manufacturing, and intra-Africa trade.
She warned that while some countries are moving fast to industrialise, Uganda is still stuck in a cycle of uncoordinated projects, underfinanced SMEs, and ghost infrastructure plans that never deliver results.
“We have land, we have labour, we have minerals,so what’s missing? It’s simple. Leadership. Strategy. Coordination,” she added.
She made it clear that the ARRP is not a boardroom fantasy, but already in motion, targeting key areas like agriculture, trade, technology, manufacturing, and social transformation. But without serious local commitment, Uganda will again miss the train.
Private sector players were jolted by the raw honesty and the unapologetic tone, many said they’ve never seen such direct talk from a banking executive.
The Outspoken lady also blasted the current system that leaves small businesses to die while well-connected elites swallow opportunities.
“Equity Bank is not here to fund cartels. We are here to support real entrepreneurs, the ones doing the dirty work,” she remarked.
The big question remains: will Uganda act, or will the talk end like all the others, on paper?
