President Yoweri Kaguta Museven will be the chief guest at the 3rd Uganda-European Union Business Forum slated for March 5 – 7, 2024, in Kampala as revealed by Investment Minister Evelyn Anite at a press conference today.
The Third Uganda-European Union Business Forum 2024 will run under the theme; “Boosting trade and investments: What can Uganda gain from the global gateway?”
Anite said the forum will be looking at exploring ways in which Uganda can add value to their products to boost their chances of increasing exports to EU.
“With Uganda now exporting more to Europe than it imports, gone are the days when we exported raw materials without value addition, I am happy the EU is leading our call for value addition,” Anite said.
Speaking at the same press conference, EU Ambassador Jan Sadek said through the Uganda-EU Business Forum, they want to demonstrate that together they can improve economic relations and stimulate private investment and trade between Uganda and the EU.
“In 2019, EU investments in Uganda constituted 45% of FDI in Uganda, hence Europe plays an important role in FDI inflows into Uganda,” he said.
“Trade between Uganda and the European Union is at an impressive $1.2 million Euro and growing. The EU exports stands at 700m Euro while Ugandan exports to the EU is at 800m Euro. This is impressive and stands out among global trade relations,” he explained.
Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Board Chairman Morrison Rwakakamba said at the summit, Uganda will showcase bankable projects at the 3rd Uganda-European Union Business Forum.
“We would like to see more EU investments in Uganda and more exports to the European market,” he said.
“UIA 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,” he added.
