President Museveni has invited Egyptian investors to explore opportunities in Uganda's infrastructure, manufacturing and value addition sectors, as the government works to strengthen industrial capacity and economic competitiveness. The President met a delegation of Egyptian investors at State House, Entebbe, led by Uganda's Deputy Ambassador to Egypt, Lt. Gen. Charles Angina, to discuss potential investment partnerships.
Museveni outlined Uganda's economic strategy, which rests on four key sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and information and communications technology. He told the investors that while Uganda has abundant agricultural produce, minerals and forest resources, the country needs more factories to process raw materials into finished products and affordable infrastructure to make locally manufactured goods competitive internationally. The President identified affordable electricity as one of the most critical requirements for industrialisation, urging Egyptian investors to consider opportunities in power generation. He warned that high electricity costs could undermine the competitiveness of locally manufactured products, explaining that reliable and affordable power is essential for Uganda's industrial growth.
Museveni identified three additional infrastructure priorities. He highlighted railway transport as a key investment area, arguing that shifting cargo from roads to railways would reduce transport costs and improve competitiveness. He also emphasised irrigation as an important priority to stabilise agriculture and reduce dependence on rain-fed farming, which exposes production to climate-related challenges. The President encouraged private investors to explore toll road development, noting that such projects allow investors to recover capital through user charges, with government handling main roads.
The President welcomed the investors' proposal to sign a memorandum of understanding covering one or two strategic projects and endorsed their proposal to establish an industrial park for processing coffee and cotton. The government committed to help identify suitable land for the project, which would provide opportunities for agro-processing and allow Uganda to add value to agricultural products rather than relying mainly on raw material exports.
Eng. Moustafa Saad Soliman Elsayed Ahamed, an Egyptian investor in the construction sector, thanked Museveni for what he described as a stable investment environment in Uganda. The delegation expressed interest in the country's strategic infrastructure priorities, including roads, railways, water and electricity, and committed to strengthening the relationship between Uganda and Egypt through investment partnerships. Ahamed said the investors were ready to work with Uganda to support infrastructure development and broader economic transformation.
For savers, borrowers, business owners and investors in Uganda, successful Egyptian investment in infrastructure and manufacturing could lower borrowing costs through improved credit availability, reduce business operating expenses via cheaper electricity and transport, and create employment opportunities across multiple sectors.