By David Rupiny
As Uganda accelerates towards Vision 2040 and its ambitious goal of a $500-billion economy, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) stands firmly at the center of this national transformation. With a renewed focus on industrialization and job creation, the Authority is actively licensing, nurturing, and guiding investments to maturity, delivering tangible impact across the country.
When inaugurating the new UIA Board on October 16, 2025, Hon. Matia Kasaija, Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, laid it out plainly:
“This is a serious role. Your responsibility is to boost industrialization and create jobs for our young people. Unemployment is an existential problem. Your focus should be on how many jobs we are creating yearly.”
The new Board, under the stewardship of Dr. Robert Kyamanya, has taken this call to heart. Their rallying call, “Industrialisation and Jobs” is now the foundation of all UIA’s investment promotion strategies and public-private engagements.
In alignment with the Presidential Vision and Uganda’s broader national development frameworks, the UIA Board has conducted a series of investor barazas and regional tours aimed at addressing key challenges affecting investment, ranging from power supply, road infrastructure to environmental permits and regulatory approvals in key industrial parks that include; Bweyogerere, Namanve, Mukono, Luzira, Soroti and Mbale Industrial Parks.
These proactive engagements reflect the strategic direction of H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as outlined in the NRM Manifesto 2021–2026, which prioritizes industrialization, youth employment, skills development, and value addition as pillars for Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
UIA is a key instrument in translating that vision into action by facilitating industrial park development, business incubation, and linking investors with programs like:
- Parish Development Model (PDM), whose beneficiaries are being integrated into agro-industrial value chains;
- Emyooga, where skilled artisans and traders are transitioning to small-scale manufacturers;
- Zonal Skilling Hubs, feeding talent into industrial parks and local enterprises;
- Innovation Centres, promoting value-added technologies, many housed in UIRI, CURAD, and Kyambogo Innovation Hub.
Transforming Traders into Industrialists
One of UIA’s most visionary initiatives has been the “Transitioning Traders to Manufacturers” The programme, targets Uganda’s trading heartlands such as Kikuubo. The initiative empowers long-time importers to start manufacturing locally, tapping into Uganda’s growing industrial capacity and benefiting from the tax holidays, free industrial land, and zero-rated inputs.
Already, a “first cohort” of Kikuubo traders is on the path to becoming manufacturers. Inspired by success stories like Luuka Plastics (packaging), Bella Beverages (wines), Ntake Refinery (edible oils), and Mak4 Cosmetics (personal care products), these aspiring industrialists are laying the foundation for a new wave of domestic manufacturing.
Collectively, these pioneering investors have committed to planned investment value of over UGX 31.39 billion (approximately USD 8.6 million) and are projected to create over 2,022 direct jobs once operational. This shift from import trade to local value addition is not only boosting Uganda’s industrial capacity but also contributing meaningfully to job creation and economic diversification.
These are local champions thriving in UIA, supported industrial parks, showing what is possible when traders become producers.
Unlocking Domestic Investment Potential
UIA’s Domestic Investment Division plays a critical role in empowering local entrepreneurs. Through platforms like the National SME Portal (www.mybusiness.go.ug), 2,995 MSMEs have been profiled, contributing over UGX 565 billion to the economy and creating 8,048 direct jobs.
Domestic investors are linked to affordable financing through Uganda Development Bank, Post Bank, and initiatives like Small Business Recovery Fund, Hi Innovator, INVITE and GROW.
UIA is also supporting women entrepreneurs through its partnership with the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and the popular Tuunda Market, enabling access to capital, markets, and visibility. This grassroots support aligns seamlessly with PDM and Emyooga, as UIA positions MSMEs to scale up and plug into national supply chains.
In the just-ended financial year 2024/25, UIA licensed167 domestic investors, up from 159 the previous financial year. The planned domestic investment value is $719.9 million (UGX2.6 trillion), and over 8,000 planned direct jobs. The positive growth is driven mainly by first-time domestic investors, like the Kikuubo Traders who are transitioning to manufacturing, as well as the impact of enhanced outreach, targeted investment promotion, and growing awareness of the industrialization agenda.
UIA also supported 11 SMEs that received $220,000 in grants under NSSF Hi Innovator initiative, three domestic Investors received UGX 2.095 billion in credit from Uganda Development Bank, and 2,856 SMEs accessed UGX 54.4 billion under Small Business Recovery Fund run by Bank of Uganda.
Aftercare That Adds Value
Beyond licensing, UIA’s Aftercare Services and Business Development Division helps investors scale and solve operational bottlenecks. In financial year 2024/25 alone, UIA supported 128 domestic investors, unlocking over $94 million in investments and creating 1,614 jobs.
From securing tax exemptions to resolving land and infrastructure issues, the Authority acts as an investor partner and not just a regulator.
Accelerating Agro-Industrialization and Food Security
Through a strategic $750,000 partnership with AGRA named the Uganda Legacy Programme, UIA is developing a central depository driven by AI analytics – UGANDASTAT – to address gaps in agricultural planning and investment. The primary aim is to align the integration of AI-driven data analytics for Uganda’s agricultural transformation and value chain development. It includes profiling investment-ready projects in key crops like maize, beans, and soybeans, and promoting fruit clusters linked to food processors like Soroti Fruit Factory, Bella Juice, etc.
In Namanve and beyond, UIA is helping food traders become food processors. For example, Bella Juice and Ntake Edible Oils now stand as monuments to import substitution and agro-industrial advancement.
Driving Investment in Tourism, Minerals, and Innovation
UIA is aggressively promoting investment in Uganda’s unique tourism landscape and a premier investment destination. In partnership with Uganda Tourism Board; Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and The Giants Club Conservation and Tourism Initiative, over 500 tourism-related projects have been licensed from tour operators to high-end luxury lodges.
The following investors are in the pipeline for the development and operation of high-end luxury hotels.
| Company | Investment Value ($) | Jobs | Project Type |
| Boston Partners Plc | 6,004,200 | 40 | High-end Luxury Hotel |
| Tian Tang Group Holdings Ltd. | 8,108,108 | 50 | Glass bridge and restaurant |
| Jacaranda Tours Plc. | 2,060,480 | 46 | High-end Luxury Hotel |
| Haliburg Group | 7,000,000 | 30 | High-end Luxury Hotel |
| Rinnomoe Kidepo Safari Lodge | 1,500,000 | High-end Luxury Hotel | |
| Capital Shoppers Ltd. | 40,000,000 | 120 | High-end Luxury Hotel |
| Russell Hall Ltd. | 29,000,000 | 120 | High-end Luxury Hotel |
During a recent tour of Kidepo Valley National Park, H.E. President Yoweri Museveni reaffirmed the critical role of the private sector in enhancing Uganda’s tourism economy:
“Uganda is a paradise. We have what others do not have: pristine parks, unique wildlife, and peace. What we need are more investors to build quality tourism infrastructure to match our natural endowments. If well promoted, tourism alone can earn Uganda over $5 billion annually,” President Museveni said while engaging investors and UWA officials.
These efforts are unlocking high-end eco-tourism investment in Uganda’s Parks: Bwindi, Murchison, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo, among others.
UIA is also scaling up investment promotion in Uganda’s mineral and petroleum sector, with a sharp focus on:
- Value addition to minerals such as gold, rare earths, lithium, copper, and iron ore
- Establishing beneficiation plants for cement, ceramics, steel, and fertilizers
- Green energy investments including solar panel manufacturing, battery storage, and clean-tech
In May 2025, UIA co-hosted the Uganda-China Mining and Petroleum Investment Promotion Conference, attracting over 300 investors from 18 countries. Key projects now underway include:
- Gold smelting and export hubs in Mubende and Busia
- Cement and steel production in Moroto and Tororo
- Exploration in oil-adjacent infrastructure in Albertine Region
“We shall not continue to export dust,” President Museveni has insisted in several forums. “Every mineral that leaves Uganda must create jobs here. No raw exports. Investors are welcome, but value addition is a must.”
In alignment with NDPIV, andVision 2040, UIA is a lead agency in attracting investment in innovation-driven sector, including:
- Automotive manufacturing: UIA provided 100 acres to Kira Motorsin Jinja Industrial Park, now producing 2,500 electric vehicles annually, employing over 800 workers
- Pharmaceuticals: Local manufacturers like Quality Chemicals are producing ARVs while and Abacus Pharma are manufacturing essential medicines for local and regional markets.
- Circular economy technologies: Fei Long Investments in Namanve is pioneering plastic-to-fabric recycling, reducing environmental waste while creating exportable products.
Investment Numbers
| FY 2024/25 | FY 2023/24 | |
| Licensed Investment Projects | 449 | 426 |
| Planned Capital Investment | $3.14 bn (UGX11.46 tn.) | $2.61 bn (UGX9.63 tn.). |
| Planned Jobs | 48438 | 67,911 |
These are complemented by a strong innovation ecosystem. Through partnerships with UIRI, CURAD, and Kyambogo Innovation Centre, UIA supports hundreds of start-ups and innovators, especially in agro-processing, food tech, bio-sciences, and clean energy.
“Innovation is the future of our economy”, President Museveni noted during a visit to UIRI in 2024. “We must transition from consuming foreign technologies to creating our own. This is why science-led industrialisation is a priority”.
The UIA Board, chaired by Dr Robert Kyamanywa, is focused on industrialization by attracting and retaining value-adding domestic and foreign investment, and creation of quality and sustainable jobs, and wealth for socioeconomic transformation of Uganda.
“The country is looking at us and at the end of the day we must demonstrate to Ugandans the number of industries and jobs we have created and policy reforms we have championed”, Dr Kyamanywa said at his swearing-in ceremony in October 2024.
Industrial Parks: Engines of Economic Growth
As of May 2025, UIA had licensed 449 investment projects—with 48,438 planned jobs and a capital value of $3.1 billion. Over 628 companies have been allocated land in government-run and private industrial parks, with 307 already operational.
The parks—like Namanve, Mbale, Kasese, and Jinja—are shaping Uganda’s new economic landscape. The Authority is scaling up to 25 parks nationwide, with generous incentives catalyzing both public and private park development.
A Strategic Role in Uganda’s Economic Leap
UIA is central to Uganda’s 10-fold Economic Growth Strategy, which targets $500 billion in GDP by 2040 through:
- Agro-industrial development
- Tourism growth
- Mineral beneficiation
- Science, technology & innovation (STI)
The Authority is surpassing key performance targets. Domestic investment now accounts for 38.5% of licensed projects, and FDI’s share of GDP has crossed the 5% mark. Since 1991, UIA-licensed projects have created over one million direct jobs.
A Call to Policymakers, Investors, and the Public
The Uganda Investment Authority is not just promoting investment; it is building Uganda’s future factory by factory, job by job. Policymakers are encouraged to further align legislation and infrastructure development with investment goals. Investors are invited to tap into Uganda’s vast opportunities, supported by a professional and proactive UIA.
Finally, to the Ugandan public, the transformation is happening. From Kikuubo to Kapeeka, from trading stalls to thriving factories, the seeds of a new Uganda are being planted.
