President Museveni is set to grace the Uganda- European Union business forum next month, the State Minister for Privatization and Investment, Evelyn Anite has said.
“It is confirmed President Museveni our lead investment promoter will be the chief guest during the business forum as he continues his efforts to promote Uganda as the number one investment destination,” Anite said.
She was on Tuesday speaking during the launch of the third edition of the Uganda-European Union business forum set for March 5 until 7 , 2024 at the Speke Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo.
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Boosting Trade and Investments”, and sub-theme “What can Uganda gain from Global Gateway?”
“There is a lot that Uganda can gain from the Global Gateway, which is the EU’s investment strategy aimed at leveraging investments for large scale initiatives in sectors that are key for sustainable and inclusive growth in partner countries,” said the European Union Ambassador to Uganda, Jan Sadek .
“Through the Global Gateway, the EU is able to pool resources from our Member States and European financial institutions to narrow investment gaps while promoting competitiveness and security of supply chains.”
He said the business forum will be used to demonstrate that EU and Uganda can do a lot to improve the economic relationship between themselves.
“During the forum, we will be able to engage in policy discussions to hear directly from the political leadership of this country about the opportunities that Europe and Uganda provide which is important for businessmen and women coming from Europe to hear directly from government.”
The Uganda-EU Business Forum is organised by the EU Delegation to Uganda together with its member states, in partnership with the Government of Uganda, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), under the Sustainable Business for Uganda (SB4U) Team Europe Initiative.
State Minister of Finance for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite is urged investors to take advantage of business opportunities that will be created by the third edition of the Forum.
“Government of Uganda fully supports the third Uganda-EU Business Forum and we thank the EU for choosing Uganda as a preferred investment destination. This is an excellent opportunity for Ugandans to seize,” Anite said.
The Forum is placing special attention to key economic sectors that offer significant opportunities for European investors to develop partnerships with entrepreneurs in Uganda including in Agribusiness, Sustainable Mining, Enabling Infrastructure and Sustainable Tourism.
It is anticipated that the forum will attract the participation of over 1500 individuals, both in-person and virtually.
Representatives from various European nations, including France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Austria, the Czech Republic, and others, are expected to join.
“The EU market offers great opportunities for Ugandan entrepreneurs. Uganda has lots of trade advantages with Europe and we need to build and capitalise, focusing on value addition and standards for quality exports. The Ugandan private sector is keen on doing business with our European counterparts and this Forum presents a priceless opportunity for us to expand our markets, promote Ugandan services and products and attract investment in the country,” said PSFU chairman, Humphrey Nzeyi.
“The Uganda Investment Authority will showcase bankable projects at the third Uganda-European Union Business Forum. We will continue to illuminate investment opportunities that we can present to EU investors. We see lucrative investment opportunities in pharmaceuticals, edible oils, electronics and agro-equipment. We strongly believe that the Forum will pave a way for a more remarkable coalition among Ugandan public and private sector trade and investment support institutions to work together in making investments happen in Uganda,” said Uganda Investment Authority chairman, Morrison Rwakakamba.
