Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has so far invested in Uganda capital worth $3b across the country’s various sectors.
Nabbanja who was in Abu Dhabi for the third UAE-Uganda business forum on Tuesday delivered a Key Note address to a gathering of government officials, diplomats, academics, policymakers and scholars from the UAE and Africa at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. Nabbanja was invited by Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said in a statement Nabbanja noted that “Africa has immense potential across various sectors, powered by its Youth Demographic with a sizeable portion of its population under 25.”
“This young workforce,” she said, “can drive innovation and entrepreneurship, creating new markets and industries.”
The Prime Minister also told her hosts that Africa is also a continent of abundant Natural Resources, “including precious minerals and renewable energy sources such as solar and hydro and possesses vast arable land which can be a key driver of food security and economic development.”
“Looking back at the relationship between Uganda and the UAE, she emphasized that it has been anchored on economic and commercial diplomacy serving as the rationale for the opening of the Uganda Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and later, the Uganda Consulate in Dubai in 2022,” the OPM statement noted.
Nabbanja added: “The UAE is now one of the leading investors in Uganda having made FDI to the tune of US$ 3 Billion across a spectrum of sectors particularly energy, infrastructure, heath care, agri-business, oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, real estate, and tourism.”
The Prime Minister also thanked the UAE for hosting the 150,000 strong Uganda diaspora community stating that it is further evidence of the close ties Uganda enjoys with the UAE and its hospitality.
“Sheikh Shakhboot praised the Ugandan Community in Abu Dhabi, stating that in addition to being hardworking and trustworthy, they are incredibly peaceful and friendly, ideals that are espoused by the UAE,” OPM stated.
About the 3rd Uganda-UAE Business Forum
The Uganda – UAE Business Forum is an annual event organised by the Uganda Embassy, Abu Dhabi and the Uganda Consulate General, Dubai that is aimed at attracting Foreign Direct Investment, promoting Uganda’s exports in UAE, promotion of tourism, attraction of technology transfers, projecting a positive image of Uganda and mobilising the Ugandan Diaspora in the UAE for development.
The 3rd Edition of the Forum was held in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai from 28th – 31st October 2024 under the theme ‘Unlocking New Horizons; UAE – Uganda Partnership for Economic Prosperity’
