Uganda has been elected to the Industrial Development Board (IDB) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the 2025–2027 term, following elections at the 21st UNIDO General Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 23–27 November 2025.
The IDB, composed of 53 member states, oversees the implementation of UNIDO’s work programme, reviews the regular and operational budgets, and advises the General Conference on key policy matters, including the appointment of the Director-General.
Uganda’s delegation to the conference was led by Isaac Sebulime, Ambassador of Uganda to Saudi Arabia, and included officials from the Uganda Permanent Mission in Vienna and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
In his address, Sebulime praised UNIDO for its role in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development worldwide. He emphasized Uganda’s interest in leveraging UNIDO’s expertise in transformative partnerships, knowledge transfer, and agro-industrialization to accelerate national development. Sebulime highlighted Uganda’s focus on promoting innovation, enhancing productivity, and increasing value addition—from primary processing to secondary and tertiary manufacturing of medium- and high-technology products for export—which aligns closely with UNIDO’s mission.
According to UNIDO, 125 million people globally depend on coffee for their livelihoods. Uganda is one of five African countries, alongside Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, selected to benefit from the UNIDO–Italy Programme for Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee (ACT). The €15 million programme aims to improve livelihoods at the start of the coffee value chain by providing better jobs and higher incomes for farmers and their communities.
The General Conference, organized as the Global Industry Summit, focused on three themes: Investment and Partnership, Women and Empowerment, and Generation Future. The session on Women and Empowerment highlighted the critical role of women in economic and industrial development, emphasizing the importance of equal rights, access to education and training, financial inclusion, and equal workplace opportunities.
Delivering the keynote address, Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalaan, founder of AEON Collective, underscored rapid development progress in Saudi Arabia, particularly regarding opportunities for women in STEM and professional sectors. She stressed that equality and gender equity should be central to industrial policy, urging governments to listen to women’s voices, understand their challenges, and support them in overcoming barriers while retaining what empowers them.
During the conference, Nature Bio Foods, an Indian company operating in Uganda, won the UNIDO One World Sustainability Award in the Sustainable Supply Chains category. Receiving the award, Sustainability Lead Amit Singh emphasized that true sustainability requires addressing agricultural livelihoods, increasing farmers’ incomes, reducing cultivation costs, and helping farmers prosper.
Nature Bio Foods, a subsidiary of LT Foods based in India, opened a processing plant in Uganda in 2023 and currently works with 16,000 farmers producing soybean, sorghum, chia seeds, and sesame seeds for export.
