Uganda hails ties with France

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Uganda enjoys warm and constructive ties with France, Henry Okello Oryem, the state minister for foreign affairs in charge of international cooperation, has said.

“Our relationship with France has always been cordial, warm and constructive. And this (kind of relationship) has been consistent over the years. Each emerging French president has always had a warm relationship with Uganda,” he said ahead of Bastille Day, which was marked on Monday.

Bastille Day is a national holiday in France, and it signifies the start of the French Revolution in 1789.

He noted that since President Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986, he has visited France several times on different missions.

“The French government has played a big role in Uganda’s big projects through various ways, such as budget support. The French have been very active in times of the Lord’s Resistance Army war in Uganda, supporting those who were in camps [for internally displaced persons], and they have also been very instrumental in water projects in Kampala and other urban areas,” the minister said.

He also said there are projects in the Karamoja sub-region that have been supported by France.

“More recently, the French have been very active in supporting us in hosting refugees. So, we are very grateful for this relationship and we hope to continue deepening it for the betterment of the two countries,” Oryem said.

In July last year, the French government announced 535,000 euros or sh2.1b in humanitarian and food aid assistance to the Karamoja sub-region under the Aid Food Programme 2024.

Envoy highlights impact

While marking Bastille Day at an event held at his residence in Kampala on July 12, last year, the French ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Xavier Sticker, highlighted the impact of investments by French companies in Uganda.

He noted that their turnover exceeded 2% of Uganda’s gross domestic product in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, logistics, transport, engineering and agriculture.

“In 2023, they invested $1.6b, which is 53% of the total foreign direct investment in Uganda. Over the next three years, they plan to invest $4.1b (sh16 trillion), according to the results of a survey by France’s foreign trade advisers in Uganda,” Sticker said.

He also noted support worth more than €800 million from the French Development Agency in sectors like water and energy, including planned delivery in December 2024, of a major water treatment plant and network that will supply water to a million Ugandans from the border with Tanzania to Mbarara.

He lauded the Uganda-France partnership for peace and stability in East Africa.

“This is illustrated in particular by the cooperation between the UPDF and the French forces stationed in Djibouti, in support of peace operations in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. France also supports Uganda’s generous refugee policy and provides food aid to Karamoja and West Nile,” Sticker said.

Speaking at the same event, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa also hailed the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of trade, investment and diplomatic relations as a formidable uniting factor that ought to be fostered for further growth.

“We are looking forward to increasing the trade volumes between our two countries and the European Union in general. We hope that the newly established chamber will also contribute to the reduction of the balance of trade, which stood at $57m in favour of France, according to 2023/2024 figures,” he said.

He noted that the establishment of the French Chamber of Commerce in Uganda on July 4 2024, would galvanise the operations and impact of French companies in the country.

He called for more investment by French companies in the areas of agro-industrialisation and agribusiness, mineral beneficiation of oil and gas, and tourism development.

“French companies in Uganda, numbering over 40, are today reputed to employ around 3,000 Ugandans and directly contribute strongly to revenue through taxation,” Tayebwa said.