By Amb. Zaake Wanume Kibedi
The fourth edition of the Uganda-UAE Business Forum was held from October 27 to 29, 2025, at the Speke Resort Convention Centre in Kampala, Uganda.
The forum brought together more than 300 delegates from both Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including government officials, investors, and business leaders.
The major outcomes were signed agreements resulting from business-to-business and government-to-business meetings.
A Dubai company, Fly 6, is finalizing negotiations with the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) to invest in smart facilities, including gates at Entebbe International Airport.
Amba Shipping & Logistics Pvt. Ltd. is partnering with Source of the Nile Hotel to establish a Marina at the Source of the Nile in Jinja, while Amba Shipping and the Ministry of Works and Transport are partnering to modernize the Port Bell Pier through a public-private partnership arrangement, among others.
During her keynote address, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, reaffirmed Uganda’s goal of growing its economy tenfold by 2040 from the current $66.3 billion to $500 billion. She invited Investors from the UAE to the 4th Uganda-UAE Business Forum to tap the vast investment and business opportunities Uganda offers, as the country progresses from lower middle-income to upper middle-income status.
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation (in the Office of the President), Dr. Monica Musenero Musanza, shared how at the heart of Uganda’s development agenda is the recognition that creating wealth is not merely about providing goods, but about creating value, generating employment, and growing the nation’s GDP.
The State Minister for Privatisation and Investment, Evelyn Anite, urged investors from the UAE to take advantage of Uganda’s stability, strategic location, vast investment opportunities, generous incentives, and conducive environment to invest in Uganda, emphasizing that doing so is profitable.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Ramathan Ggoobi, said Uganda’s economy is stable, strong and expected to grow by over seven percent in 2027 and medium term, and in double-digits thereafter.
Uganda Investment Authority’s Deputy Director for Business Development, Peter Muramira, said UIA offers key investment and business services through its one-stop shop www.ebiz.go.ug and urged the UAE investors to make use of it.
The Managing Director of the National Social Security Fund, Patrick Ayota, said Uganda offers a good investment solution through its huge agricultural potential for the UAE’s national food security policy.
The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija, who closed the forum, reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to deepening trade and investment ties with the UAE.
The Uganda-UAE Business Forum underscores a turning point in the Uganda-UAE economic relationship – moving beyond simple export-import flows towards deeper, multi-sector investment and value addition.
Uganda should position itself as a viable destination for the UAE and Gulf capital, provide an attractive tourism destination, and a reliable source of organic agricultural products.
If done well, FDI from the UAE into Uganda could double from the current $3.5 billion to $7 billion, and the trade portfolio could increase from the current $2.85 billion to over $5 billion in the next three years.
The Ugandan Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate General in Dubai are committed to realizing their strategic plan of doubling the above-stated figures of FDI, trade, and tourism in the next three years.
One of the vehicles that has been created to facilitate the achievement of these targets is the establishment of the Uganda Business Centre at the Ugandan Consulate in Dubai to support Uganda’s small and medium enterprises in expanding their markets, market intelligence, and access to cheap financing.
***
The writer is Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
