The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, John Mulimba, has urged Turkish investors and business men to come invest, and do business in Uganda.
Mulimba made the call at the Official Celebrations organized by Uganda’s Embassy in Turkey to Commemorate Uganda’s 60th Independence Celebrations.
Mulimba noted that Government of Uganda has embarked on agricultural modernization and industrialization, and as such, “Uganda would wish to partner with Türkiye in the area of agriculture in order to benefit from Türkiye’s experience and expertise. We also invite Turkish companies to invest and do business in Uganda”.
He noted that the recent Uganda-Türkiye Investment, Trade, Industry and Tourism Summit held on 12th-13th May 2022 in Kampala, which culminated into the launch of Uganda Türkiye Industrial Park and Trade Centre, is a clear indication of the commitment of the Uganda Government to attract Turkish investors.
The Centre is meant to promote opportunities in four priority sectors; namely, agriculture, manufacturing, ICT and services.
“I have no doubt that the relations between the two sisterly countries will continue to grow to greater heights,” he said.
The theme of this year’s 60th Independence Anniversary is, “A declaration of African interdependence and our shared destiny”.
In this regard, Mulimba noted that Uganda and Africa at large remain cognizant of the valuable relationship and partnership with Türkiye, both at bilateral and continental levels.
He said this has continued to grow ever since the opening of resident missions in each other’s capitals in 2010 and 2011.
The relations between the two countries are regulated by cooperation frameworks in the areas which include Trade and Tourism, Military and Defense, Security, Energy, Education, and Parliamentary democracy.
The visit of the President of the Republic of Türkiye H.E Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Uganda in 2016, and other high-level visits between the two countries have given impetus to the existing vibrant bilateral relations.
Both the Uganda Embassy in Ankara and the Turkish Embassy in Kampala have facilitated trade and investment between the two countries, and as a result, the bilateral trade volume has increased from US 32m in 2017 to US71m in 2021.
Speaking as the Chief Guest, Dr. Mehmet MUS, the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, said the decisive steps that Uganda has made forward since its independence laid down the solid basis of the stability, economic and social development, which it proudly enjoys right now as a prominent country in its region.
“I am glad to mention that the relations between Uganda and Türkiye have been developing and deepening on the basis of a sincere friendship in every field. The historical visit of our President to Uganda in 2016 marked an important milestone in our relations, setting forward an ambitious road map and defining new economic and commercial goals,” he said.
He added, “In this sense, the Uganda-Türkiye Trade and Investment Summit in May in Kampala was a strong confirmation of the willingness on both sides to develop relations.”
He revealed that Turkey has an African Partnership strategy based on a “win-win” principle, saying this has yielded great success throughout the last two decades.
Turkey’s trade volume with Africa, which was 5,4 billion dollars in 2003, increased to 34,5 billion dollars in 2021.
In 2021 Türkiye-Uganda trade reached the level of 72 million dollars. In 2022, bilateral trade continues to grow steadily.
On investment, he noted that Turkish companies are already present in the Ugandan market and he wants them to actively contribute to the development priorities of Uganda especially in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and energy and transportation sectors.
“We believe that Türkiye and Uganda, intensifying their cooperation, can foster economic and trade relations and can generate wealth not only for their people, but also for the whole continent,” Dr. Mehmet MUS said.
