President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for increased Japanese investment in Uganda, particularly in agro-processing, and urged Japan to support the country with road construction equipment.
Museveni made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with a Japanese delegation led by Ambassador Takahashi Misako, Director General and Assistant Minister for the African Affairs Department at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at State House, Entebbe.
The discussions covered bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, energy, investment, education, health and youth development.
Museveni commended Japan for its support to Uganda’s infrastructure development, citing the Kampala Flyover and Karuma Bridge. “Thank you for the support like the flyover and Karuma Bridge,” Museveni said.
The President said Uganda needed more road construction equipment to accelerate road works across the country and proposed that each local government should have its own machinery rather than depend on shared equipment. “I want each to have its own road equipment, the big ones, so that they don’t have shared equipment,” he said.
He said the equipment should include graders, trucks, compactors and other machinery required for road construction and maintenance.
Museveni added that the machinery did not necessarily have to be new as long as it was durable and could be repaired and maintained locally.
He recalled that Uganda had previously purchased equipment from Japanese companies, including Komatsu, and expressed interest in acquiring more.
The President also requested a meeting with Japanese companies operating in Uganda to hear their concerns and identify ways of improving their operations. “I would want to meet them as a group, if we could organise. They come here, and they tell me the issues they have, so that I can solve them,” he said.
Museveni also called for increased Japanese investment in agro-processing, saying value addition would create jobs and expand economic opportunities.
The Japanese delegation said Tokyo would continue supporting Uganda in infrastructure development, human resource development, education, health and refugee support.
Ambassador Misako said Japan was considering additional support for the Kampala Flyover and road upgrading projects, while also exploring possible support for the improvement of the Kibuye-Busega road.
On the reconstruction of Karuma Bridge, she said a groundbreaking ceremony was planned for November and expressed hope that Museveni would attend. “We would also very much like President Museveni to attend this ceremony if the schedule allows,” she said.
The Ambassador said Japan would also continue supporting Uganda’s efforts to improve the welfare of refugees and host communities. “Uganda accepts the largest number of refugees in Africa,” she said.
She commended Uganda for its contribution to regional peace and stability, including its deployment of troops to Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ambassador also recalled Japan’s support to Uganda during the Ebola outbreak and commended the Government and people of Uganda for their response.
On trade and investment, Misako said 17 Japanese companies currently have bases in Uganda, operating in sectors including transport, health, manufacturing and agriculture.
She said maintaining a conducive business environment would be critical to attracting more Japanese investment. “Ensuring a free and fair business environment is extremely important for promoting foreign investment and further advancing Uganda’s economic development,” she said.
The Ambassador said Japan wanted to see more Japanese companies invest in Uganda and called for continued cooperation to strengthen trade and investment ties.
The meeting also discussed education and youth development. Misako said more than 200 Ugandans had studied in Japan under Japanese Government scholarship programmes, while more than 4,000 Ugandans had travelled to Japan through various Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) training programmes.
She added that 846 JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers had been deployed to Uganda, with 37 currently working in different parts of the country.
The Ambassador also highlighted the role of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in strengthening Japan-Africa relations, noting that Uganda has participated as a partner since the first TICAD meeting in 1993.