Kampala, (UG):- Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s royal family, Saturday evening arrived in Uganda ahead of the Heroes Day celebrations where President Museveni will honour home with a medal.
The Prince was received at Entebbe International Airport on Saturday night by Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) boss, Robert Mukiza.
The prestigious Pearl of Africa Grand Master Class One medal will be bestowed on the prince during today’s Uganda Heroes’ Day celebrations at Mpenja Primary School playgrounds in Gomba District.
The event will be held under the theme. “Hail our legends: A Secure Uganda Is Now a Reality.”
In a media interview held at the VVIP lounge, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum expressed his affection for Uganda, stating; “Uganda has become my second home, and the people of Uganda are my second family.
“We have been looking to establish impactful projects in Uganda that will add value to the Ugandan communities,” he added.
When asked about his investments in the country, the Dubai Prince stated; “We want to build an oil refinery in Uganda that will help the country to benefit from her oil wealth. We are also working to support the Uganda air cargo, and the first aircraft has arrived today. The first aircraft has arrived, and others will be arriving very soon. There are different opportunities here in Uganda, and we are looking for other projects. I have come with my business partners.”
On the government’s support for these investments, the UIA Director General, Robert Mukiza, pledged: “As a government of Uganda, we pledge to support these investments to actualize but also support them to survive.”
He highlighted that the investments cut across various sectors, and the government is committed to providing the necessary support for their actualization and survival.
Uganda – UAE Business Relations
Uganda recently tapped Sheikh Juma’s Alpha MBM Investments LLC from the United Arab Emirates to develop its $4.5 billion 60,000 barrel-per-day refinery.
This was after Uganda kicked out a consortium of American and Italian firms known as Albertine Graben Energy Consortium (AGEC).
This publication understands Prince Juma is supporting Uganda Air Cargo with aircraft to promote exports of fresh foods to UAE and other countries.
Uganda and UAE enjoy cordial and mutually beneficial relations, characterized by several MoUs signed in various fields and an exchange of high-level visits.
According to the Uganda Export Promotion Board, UAE is the leading market for exports from Uganda within the Middle East and Gulf countries, accounting for approximately 94% of all exports from Uganda.
There has been a significant surge in exports to the UAE from US$300 million in 2018 to US$2 Billion by 2022.
Similarly, there has been a surge in Foreign Direct Investment to Uganda from the UAE of approximately US$ 3 billion and imports from UAE to Uganda are estimated at US$ 1.1 billion.
Uganda opened its Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2007, while the UAE embassy was opened in Kampala in 2011. At present, the country’s primary export products to the UAE include gold, fish and coffee.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: dailyexpressug@gmail.com Or follow the Daily Express on X Platform or WhatsApp for the latest updates.
