President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged Egyptian investors to explore opportunities in Uganda’s infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, identifying electricity generation, railway transport, irrigation and toll roads as priority areas for investment.
The President made the appeal on Friday while meeting a delegation of Egyptian investors at State House, Entebbe, in a meeting aimed at strengthening economic cooperation between Uganda and Egypt.
The delegation was led by Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Egypt, Lt Gen Charles Angina.
President Museveni said Uganda had substantial agricultural, mineral and forest resources but needed more factories to process these raw materials into finished products and affordable infrastructure to make locally manufactured goods competitive on international markets.
He explained that Uganda’s economic transformation strategy was anchored on four key sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and information and communications technology (ICT).
“The first sector is commercial agriculture. We produce a lot. That is why we want value addition. The second sector is manufacturing based on agricultural raw materials, minerals and forest products. The third sector is services and the fourth is ICT,” he said.
Museveni identified affordable electricity as one of the biggest requirements for industrialisation, urging Egyptian investors to consider opportunities in power generation.
“We need electricity. We want an economy which produces competitive products that can compete globally. That means the price of electricity must not be too high,” he said.
He explained that electricity infrastructure could be developed through government investment or private capital, particularly investors willing to commit funds over longer periods.
The President also highlighted railway development as a priority, arguing that transporting cargo by rail would reduce logistics costs compared to road transport and improve the competitiveness of Ugandan products.
“We need the railway system. We need to transport cargo from the road to the railway because it is cheaper,” he said.
On agriculture, Museveni encouraged investment in irrigation infrastructure to reduce the country’s dependence on rainfall, which exposes farmers to production disruptions during prolonged dry spells.
“The third area of priority in infrastructure is irrigation because we need to stabilise agriculture,” he said.
He explained that irrigation would allow farmers to produce throughout the year, ensuring a reliable supply of agricultural raw materials for industries and supporting commercial agriculture.
Museveni also identified toll roads as an investment opportunity for the private sector, saying investors could recover their capital through charges paid by road users.
“The main roads are mainly done by the government, but the private sector does the toll roads which can be used to recover the funds of the investors,” he said.
Egyptians propose industrial park
The Egyptian investors proposed signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering one or two strategic projects, an initiative Museveni welcomed, saying the government was prepared to facilitate their investment plans.
The delegation also proposed establishing an industrial park with factories for value addition to coffee and cotton.
Museveni endorsed the proposal and pledged government support in identifying suitable land for the development.
“The idea is good. We shall identify for you an area where you can construct,” he said.
Eng. Moustafa Saad Soliman Elsayed Ahamed, an Egyptian investor in the construction sector, thanked President Museveni for what he described as a stable investment environment and said the delegation was interested in participating in Uganda’s infrastructure development.
He cited roads, railways, water and electricity as some of the strategic areas in which Egyptian investors could partner with the Ugandan government.
“We are here to build on the momentum between Egypt and Uganda. We are ready to identify key strategic and priority projects that we can partner with you to make them happen,” he said.
Ahamed said the delegation was committed to strengthening economic ties between the two countries, describing Uganda as a sister country.
“We assure you that we are ready to work with you and help develop Uganda’s infrastructure because this is our sister country. Africa must develop Africa, no matter what,” he added.
Other members of the Egyptian delegation included Khalil Mohamed Ahmed, Dr Sally Atef Saad Atia Bahr, Yasser Raouf Mohamed Abdallah El-Saadany, Dr Alaa El Essawy, Mohamed El Daly and Abdulmanaeim Mohamed.
The meeting comes amid Uganda’s efforts to attract foreign investment into infrastructure, industrial production and value addition as part of its broader economic transformation agenda.