Kampala, Uganda: Uganda will later this month host the Fourth Edition of the Uganda–UAE Business Forum, a premier investment and trade gathering set for October 27–29, 2025, in Kampala, as bilateral trade between the two nations surges to an all-time high of $2.85 billion.
Speaking at a press briefing of Friday at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Uganda’s Ambassador to the UAE, Zaake W. Kibedi, described the three-day event as “momentous”—a strategic platform that underscores the fast-deepening partnership between Kampala and Abu Dhabi in trade, investment, and diplomacy.
“The Uganda–UAE relationship exemplifies a robust and evolving partnership characterised by mutual respect, strategic investments, and collaborative efforts across multiple sectors,” said Kibedi.
The Ambassador revealed that the UAE has become Uganda’s leading export destination, reflecting a consistent upward trend in trade and investment flows. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $2.85 billion as of September 2025, marking a record increase from $2.4 billion last year.
Equally, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the UAE into Uganda has experienced explosive growth, leaping from $300 million in 2018 to $3.5 billion in 2024, driven by renewed investor confidence and enhanced bilateral engagement.
This economic expansion, according to Kibedi, has been supported by improved connectivity, with six daily flights between Entebbe and major UAE cities, making business travel, tourism, and cargo exchange more efficient than ever before.
Forum to Spotlight Strategic Sectors
The 2025 Uganda–UAE Business Forum will bring together government officials, investors, and business leaders from both nations for three days of plenary discussions, business exhibitions, and field engagements aimed at unlocking new investment opportunities.
The discussions will target key growth sectors including agriculture, tourism, minerals, innovation, infrastructure, real estate, manufacturing, and energy—areas identified as central to Uganda’s Vision 2040 development agenda.
“The platform will showcase innovative products, services, and business models while influencing policy dialogue to create an enabling environment for trade and investment,” Ambassador Kibedi noted.
Organized jointly by the Uganda Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Uganda Consulate General in Dubai, and key UAE economic bodies including the Abu Dhabi Department for Economic Development, Abu Dhabi Chamber, and Dubai Chambers, the event will also feature B2B, B2G, and G2G sessions designed to facilitate practical investment deals and policy coordination.
High-Level Exchanges Cement Uganda–UAE Ties
Uganda’s partnership with the UAE continues to grow through consistent high-level diplomatic exchanges. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni visited the UAE in January 2025, while Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, reciprocated with a visit to Kampala in May 2025.
These visits resulted in the signing of six bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering areas such as investment protection, digital transformation, energy cooperation, works and transport, and diplomatic training, cementing the framework for sustained collaboration.
Ambassador Kibedi also lauded the UAE’s hospitality and highlighted the growing presence of Ugandans working and living in the Gulf state — now exceeding 160,000, up from 40,000 in 2018 — a testament to the expanding people-to-people ties between the two countries.
With the 4th Uganda–UAE Business Forum on the horizon, Kampala is positioning itself as the next frontier for Gulf investment in Africa, building on a foundation of mutual trust and strategic engagement.
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