President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for increased Japanese investment in Uganda, particularly in agro-processing, while urging Japan to support local governments with road construction equipment to accelerate infrastructure development.
Museveni made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with a Japanese delegation led by Takahashi Misako, Director General and Assistant Minister for African Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at State House, Entebbe.
The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, energy, investment, education, health, youth development and other areas of mutual interest.
Museveni commended Japan for its contribution to Uganda’s infrastructure development, citing the Kampala Flyover and Karuma Bridge among projects supported by the country.
“Thank you for the support like the flyover and Karuma Bridge,” Museveni said.
The President said Uganda needs additional road construction equipment to improve road maintenance and construction across the country.
He proposed that each local government should have its own set of machinery instead of relying on equipment shared among districts.
“I want each to have its own road equipment, the big ones, so that they don’t have shared equipment,” he said.
Museveni said the equipment could include graders, trucks, compactors and other earth-moving machinery. He added that Uganda would be willing to acquire used machinery provided it is durable and can be repaired and maintained locally.
The President noted that Uganda had previously purchased road construction equipment from Japanese companies, including Komatsu, and expressed interest in acquiring additional machinery.
Museveni also asked to meet Japanese companies operating in Uganda to discuss challenges affecting their businesses and identify ways of improving their operations.
“I would want to meet them as a group, if we could organize. They come here and they tell me the issues they have, so that I can solve them,” he said.
Museveni also called for increased Japanese investment in agro-processing, saying value addition could create jobs, expand economic opportunities and contribute to Uganda’s economic growth.
He said Uganda supports wealth creation both domestically and internationally, arguing that a stronger global economy creates markets for products from different countries.
The call comes as Uganda seeks to attract more investment into manufacturing and value addition as part of efforts to increase the value of its agricultural output and expand employment opportunities.
The Japanese delegation said Japan would continue supporting Uganda through infrastructure projects, human resource development, education, health and refugee-related programmes.
Ambassador Misako said Japan was considering additional support for the Kampala Flyover and road upgrading projects and was also exploring possible support for the improvement of the Kibuye-Busega road.
On the reconstruction of Karuma Bridge, Misako said a groundbreaking ceremony was planned for November and expressed hope that Museveni would attend, subject to his schedule.
“We would also very much like President Museveni to attend this ceremony if the schedule allows,” she said.
Misako said Japan remained committed to supporting Uganda’s efforts to improve the welfare of refugees and host communities.
“Uganda accepts the largest number of refugees in Africa,” she said, adding that Japan would continue supporting the country in addressing the needs of refugees and host communities.
She also commended Uganda’s contribution to regional peace and stability, particularly its deployment of troops to Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ambassador recalled Japan’s support to Uganda during the Ebola outbreak and commended the Government and people of Uganda for their response to the epidemic.
On trade and investment, Misako said 17 Japanese companies currently have bases in Uganda, operating in sectors including transport, health, manufacturing and agriculture.
She commended Museveni for creating an environment that enables Japanese companies to operate in Uganda and stressed the importance of maintaining a conducive business climate.
“Ensuring a free and fair business environment is extremely important for promoting foreign investment and further advancing Uganda’s economic development,” she said.
Misako said Japan would like to see more Japanese companies invest in Uganda and called for continued cooperation between the two countries to strengthen trade and investment ties.
The meeting also addressed education and youth development.
Misako said more than 200 Ugandans had studied in Japan under Japanese Government scholarship programmes, while more than 4,000 Ugandans had travelled to Japan through various Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) training programmes.
She added that 846 JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers had so far been deployed to Uganda, with 37 currently working in different parts of the country.
The Ambassador also highlighted the role of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in strengthening Japan-Africa relations, noting that Uganda has been a constructive partner since the first TICAD meeting in 1993.
The meeting highlighted the two countries’ continued interest in expanding cooperation in infrastructure, trade, investment, education, health and human-resource development.
