How the Saudi Prince spent his four days in Uganda

 President Yoweri Museveni (centre) with his guests at his farm in Kisozi on Thursday, December 8, 2016. On the President's right is the Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer. PHOTO:PPU

On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the Saudi Prince, His Royal Highness, Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer arrived in Uganda by private jet to explore investment opportunities in the agriculture sector.

He was received at Entebbe International Airport by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Uganda, Dr. Jamal Abdulaziz Raffa and Uganda's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu.

After landing, he was driven to State House Entebbe where he held a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni. According to Dr. Ssemuddu, the Prince was visiting to explore multi-billion investments in agriculture sector.

The Prince is a member of Saudi's ruling family, the House of Saud and Chairman, Board of Directors of Almarai Company.

Museveni (centre) with his guests observing his cows at his farm in Kisozi on Thursday, December 8, 2016. 

During the meeting at State House Entebbe, President identified areas for possible investment such as fruit-processing, manufacturing, textiles manufacture and grain milling.

Museveni said: "Uganda is currently the second biggest producer of bananas behind India but ours are organic and tasty bananas. You can set up factories here to help with agro-processing."

Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer disembarking from his private jet and received by Ambassadors Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu (left) and Dr. Jamal Abdulaziz Raffa (right) at Entebbe International Airport on December 7, 2016. 

Possibly as evidence of the organic bananas produced in Uganda, Museveni offered the prince and his team a cluster of bogoya (yellow bananas), which the Prince gladly ate some two pieces and said: "These taste very nice. In Saudi Arabia, we import bananas from South America and the organic types are expensive."

Museveni noted that Uganda was spending a lot of money on imports, citing China ($800m) and India (over $1b). He said if factories were set up in Uganda to manufacture some of these imports, it would grow the local economy.

 Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda (right) and David Bahati, Uganda's state minister for Planning (left) with Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer (centre), leaving after the dinner at Serena Hotel Kampala.

The President reportedly informed the Prince that Uganda's population was growing and offered opportunity for investors saying: "In 1962 at Independence, we were only 6.5 million. We are now 40 million people. It not only provides adequate labour, but also offers market for products."

Comparing with India, Museveni reportedly said: "India had 430 million people in 1962 and they are now 1.3 billion people and yet they are more prosperous than they were in 1962."

He said the Government was managing Uganda's population so that its growth (projected at 100 million people by 2050), delivers prosperity.

 Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer (centre) with Ambassadors Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu (left) and Dr. Jamal Abdulaziz Raffa (right) at Entebbe International Airport

The Prince appreciated the visit and promised to invest in Uganda noting that Uganda is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for investors because of the good weather, fresh water and most importantly, peace and security.

Ambassador Ssemuddu said that the Prince's visit has been one year in the making, following a pledge he made to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, when the Ugandan Head of State visited Saudi Arabia in December of 2015. During the visit, Prince Sultan, who he had already appraised about the investment opportunities in Uganda, told the President that he was keen on visiting the East African country to explore investment opportunities in line with the strategic priorities of his business empire.

The Prince visited Uganda with his entourage that included his Senior Adviser, Schorderet Georges Pierre, Chief Executive Officer, Almarai Company, Al-Ajmi Faisal Mohammed, his Personal Secretary, as well as other technical and administrative staff from his business empire.

 Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer with his entourage touring Fresh Dairy Corporation in Industrial Area in Kampala Uganda

The Prince is ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 12th richest in the Middle East worth $2.6 billion.

Ambassador Ssemuddu said Al Marai Company, owned by Prince Sultan, is described as the biggest vertically integrated dairy products company in the world and Al Yamama Cement Company, the biggest cement company in the Middle East. He also owns tens of companies spanning a number of sectors and industries, including insurance, oil and gas, education and construction, located in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

"This is a big privilege that we must take advantage of as a country. Given the stature of Prince Sultan, we should expect investments in our agriculture sector that should generate hundreds of jobs and other benefits to the country," says Ambassador Ssemuddu.

 President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni talking to his guest, Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer, at State House Entebbe on Wednesday

Later in that Wednesday evening, the Prince and his entourage was hosted to a dinner by the Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda at Serena Hotel Kampala.

During the dinner, Dr. Rugunda said that this historic visit to Uganda by Your Royal Highness marks yet another major milestone in the steadily growing warm relations between Uganda and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Rugunda said he was particularly gratified to note that the relations between Uganda and Saudi Arabia have, over the years, deepened and broadened at all levels, including in areas of trade, transport, agriculture, research, culture, education, investment, technical co-operation and culture. He said that as a further sign of strong bilateral relations, President Museveni made a historic visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2015, where he was warmly welcomed by His Highness King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He said that Uganda and Saudi Arabia share a lot in common. As developing countries, they have similar development objectives and can share various experiences.

 Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer (centre) talking to Ambassadors Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu (right) and Dr. Jamal Abdulaziz Raffa (left) at Entebbe International Airport's VIP Lounge after his arrival 

Dr. Rugunda said that Saudi Arabia is endowed with a strong financial and capital base which can be mutually beneficial to both countries and that Uganda on the other hand, is endowed with natural resources, especially in the fields of agriculture and animal industry in which Saudi Arabia is welcome to partner with to harness, for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.

In concluding his remarks, Dr. Ruganda said that: Your Highness, I am aware of your wide experience and knowledge in the dairy industry, manufacturing and service industry. As a founder of Almarai, the largest integrated dairy foods company in the world, I wish to invite you to consider investing in this sector in Uganda. The Government is ready to support you in any way necessary in that regard.

We also commend Saudi Arabia for her role as the largest contributor to the Islamic Bank, which has contributed a lot to our development especially in the fields of infrastructure and education. Uganda continues to count on Saudi Arabia's support in this regard.

 Uganda's Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda (right) chatting with Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer, at Serena Hotel Kampala

Uganda being one of the countries that has been very cautious of her security, Dr. Rugunda said: Both our countries live in an atmosphere of the consistent threat of terrorism and extremism. It is gratifying to note that our two countries have a shared interest in the fight against these two vices. Uganda reaffirms her support to the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Rugunda then finally proposed a toast for the good health of His Royal Highness King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and for the good health of H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda.

Because of his business acumen and his interest in dairy sector, the Prince that Wednesday night immediately after the dinner with Dr. Rugunda, headed to Acacia Mall in Kyanjokya, a Kampala suburb to explore, possibly, what kind of items and businesses were being undertaken in Uganda.

At Acacia Mall, the Prince was ushered to the Nakumat Shopping Mall in Acacia, where he went straight where dairy products were displayed. He and his entourage examined the packaging, prices and kind of dairy products on display. They asked the Mall guides some questions as they moved around.

 Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer with his entourage at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary at the Ngamba Island in Kalangala

The Acacia Mall shoppers and Nakumat shoppers and staff in particular were taken by surprise seeing many Arabs dressed in Islamic attires all over a sudden flood the area with quite a number of black people in civilian (of course these were the protocol team and Ugandan security detail assigned to guard these very important guests).

The Prince and his entourage made a few selection of items which they paid for. These were mainly dairy products. May be they needed them for further research on them since they are eyeing dairy investment in Uganda.

After Nakumat, the Prince and his team led by the Saudi Ambassador to Uganda Dr Rafa went to Café SSerie within the same Acacia Mall, where they had some coffee. The spent about 30 minutes in this Café before heading back to Serena Hotel.

The Prince also, the following day, Thursday, December 8, 2016, toured the President's farms at Kisozi and his home in Rwakitura, in western Uganda.
According to Ambassador Dr, Ssemuddu, President Museveni took the Prince and his entourage on a tour of his farms in Kisozi in Gomba district and Rwakitura in Kiruhura district.

In Kisozi, Dr Ssemuddu said, Museveni took his guests on a tour of his farm, showing them the long-horned Ankole cattle. That the President said the animals belonged to the ancient cattle of the Nile Valley, which are engraved on the world-famous Egyptian Tombs. "These long-horned cattle have good resistance, better than Friesian animals. The calves suckle for about four months and they are then weaned because the mother would have conceived," the President reportedly told Prince Sultan.

 Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud al Kabeer with his entourage after visiting Nakumatt Supermarket went to Café SSerie within the same Acacia Mall

President Museveni was reported to have narrated to his guests an incident in the 1960s, when a group of Americans bought the long-horned cattle and took them for a beef competition, with one of the animals taking first position, another sixth.

"They have yellow fat, which does not contain cholesterol," the President said adding that Uganda has about 14 million cattle and unlike the West, where the animals are kept purely for commercial purposes, here they are reared for cultural reasons too.

Prince Sultan, who was in Uganda to scout for investment opportunities, reportedly said he was impressed by the quality and traits of the cattle.

In a meeting on his arrival on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, at State House, Entebbe, the Prince Sultan reportedly said he wants to set up business in Uganda as well as help Uganda produce products and reduce imports.

"People like products if they are of quality and locally made. It benefits the local people more, creates for them jobs and strengthens the local currency. It is what we want to do in Uganda," said the Prince.

Thereafter, President Museveni flew with his guest to Rwakitura in Kiruhura district, where they also toured the farm before the Saudi prince left for Kampala that evening.

The following day, on Friday, the Prince and his entourage toured some dairy companies such Fresh Dairy Corporation and later headed to Ngamba Island in Kalangala District to explore tourism potential, where the Prince was excited getting closer to the chimps at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Ngamba Island.

The Prince was finally that evening of Friday, December 9, 2016, hosted to a dinner by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Uganda, Dr. Jamal Abdulaziz Raffa before he departed for Saudi Arabia the following day.