President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to allocate land in an industrial park to Saudi investors seeking to establish dairy and coffee processing facilities in Uganda with an aim to boost value addition and export earnings.
The President made the commitment today at State House, Nakasero while welcoming a delegation led by Ali Saleh Al-Swayeh, Chairman of the Saudi-Uganda Business Council and Chairman of Injaz Global Group who are in the country to explore investment opportunities.
“Their interest in investing is timely, particularly in value addition and processing of dairy and coffee, where we have abundant raw materials,” Museveni said.
Uganda is one of Africa’s leading coffee exporters and a major milk producer in the region, but much of its produce is still exported in raw form. Government has consistently pushed for local processing to increase export value, create jobs and stabilize farmer incomes.
Museveni said the Saudi delegation’s plans align with Uganda’s industrialisation agenda.
“Plans in the medical field and food production for human and animal consumption, including exports to Saudi Arabia, are also commendable,” he said.
The proposed investments are expected to target not only the domestic market but also exports to Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region, potentially opening new trade corridors for Ugandan products.
To support the projects, the President assured the delegation of government backing.
“Government will allocate them an industrial park to support these investments,” Museveni pledged.
Uganda has established industrial parks across the country to attract foreign direct investment by offering serviced land and infrastructure. The dairy and coffee processing plants are aimed at enhancing value retention within the country, reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen Uganda’s competitiveness in global markets.
Similarly, President Museveni yesterday held discussions with Abebe Selassie of the International Monetary Fund, where he outlined Uganda’s economic priorities and structural challenges.
“I informed him that the correct line for Uganda is value addition, peace and security, and open markets,” Museveni said.
The President emphasized that while Uganda’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain stable, structural bottlenecks continue to affect competitiveness.
“However, we must deal with the high costs of transport, electricity and money, and discourage the externalization of profits so that they are reinvested here,” he noted.
Uganda has long cited high logistics and energy costs as key constraints on industrial growth, particularly for manufacturers and agro-processors seeking to compete in regional and international markets.
Museveni stressed that agriculture and manufacturing must remain at the core of Uganda’s transformation agenda.
“The center of gravity of our economy is agriculture and manufacturing, and we must deliberately support them,” he said.
