The Consul General of Uganda’s Consulate in Dubai, Ambassador Henry Mayega, has met the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (DCC), Mohammad Lootah, to further explore the development of commercial connections between the two nations.

At the meeting that took place on July 5, 2023, at the DCC headquarters in Dubai, Mayega was accompanied by Asha Nabbanja, the Second Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Abu Dhabi, while the President of the DCC was accompanied by Hassan Al Hashemi, the Vice President of International Relations, and Khalid Al Ali, the Director of the African Region.

The two parties spoke about a variety of topics during their meeting, including the upcoming 2nd Edition of the Uganda-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Business Forum, which is slated to take place in Uganda during the first week of October 2023.

The forum is being co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of Uganda in Dubai.

The focus of this year's forum, according to Mayega, is to establish public-private partnerships, joint ventures, and business-to-business relationships in the areas/sectors of commercialized agriculture, infrastructure development, tourism, manufacturing, minerals development, and energy.

They also talked about the formation of the Uganda business council to work with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce plus the Uganda Chamber of Commerce on establishing businesses in both Dubai and Uganda, as well as the proposed trade business delegation from Dubai to Uganda which was scheduled to visit Uganda in 2024 for a trade mission.

(Left) The Consul General of Uganda’s Consulate in Dubai Ambassador Henry Mayega recieving a gift from the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (DCC), Mohammad Lootah, after the meeting at the DCC head offices in Dubai

According to Mayega, the two parties concurred that a list of bankable projects open for investment should be shared with the DCC so that it can be forwarded to possible investors who will make up the delegation attending the upcoming Uganda-UAE Business Forum.

“We also agreed that the proposed trade mission that was scheduled to take place next year is conducted jointly during the Business Forum and that the Consulate would communicate to the DCC the composition of the Uganda Business Council at the earliest opportunity,” he noted.

This is a part of the country’s attempts, according to Mayega, to strengthen ties and trade with Dubai and the UAE.

Ugandan exports to the UAE have increased since bilateral diplomatic ties were established in 2009, rising from $300 million in 2018 to $1.85 billion in 2020, with the primary exports being high-value crops, labour externalization, and valuable minerals.

Uganda’s Consulate General in the Emirate of Dubai was opened in June last year.

UAE is currently Uganda's biggest trading partner in the region. Mayega noted that for Uganda to industrialize its economy and move the emphasis from low-value agriculture to value-added manufacturing, it is essential to continue to “strengthen this partnership”.

Mayega emphasized that, given the country's desire to move towards agro-processing, the agriculture industry is a logical target for investment.

With a focus on Uganda’s need for value addition of the raw materials produced in the nation, President Yoweri Museveni also held high-level meetings with investors and leaders in the UAE at the beginning of this year.