KAMPALA — Uganda and Italy are seeking to deepen bilateral cooperation in coffee development, trade, investment, infrastructure and skills development, as the two countries prepare for a new round of engagements between government and business leaders.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to strengthening ties with Italy during a meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Uganda, Mauro Massoni, at State House.
The ambassador paid a courtesy call on the President and briefed him on progress in cooperation between the two countries.
President Museveni thanked Massoni for the update and welcomed efforts to expand collaboration, including partnerships involving Italian companies.
The discussions come ahead of an expected visit to Uganda by a high-level Italian delegation led by the Secretary General of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Massoni, the delegation will include representatives from Italy’s development and export finance sector, as well as traders and business leaders who will meet Ugandan counterparts to explore areas of mutual interest.
Coffee is expected to be one of the central areas of discussion.
Massoni briefed Museveni on ongoing talks over a coffee development project intended to support Uganda’s coffee sector and improve opportunities for smallholder farmers.
The Italian delegation is also expected to participate in preparations for the groundbreaking of a Coffee House at Kyambogo University, further expanding cooperation around Uganda’s coffee industry.
Coffee remains one of Uganda’s most important agricultural exports, making efforts to improve production, value addition, financing and market access central to the country’s strategy for increasing export earnings.
The two countries are also preparing for the Uganda Business Forum, scheduled to take place in Rome in October.
Massoni said the forum would provide an opportunity for companies from both countries to establish new commercial relationships.
“This forum will bring together Ugandan and Italian businesses and provide an opportunity to explore new trade and investment partnerships,” Massoni said.
Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives is expected to participate in the forum.
The talks between Museveni and Massoni also covered infrastructure and investment, including opportunities linked to the Tororo Cement project.
Museveni expressed interest in initiatives that could strengthen Uganda’s regional transport and trade connections, particularly improved links between Uganda’s railway network and Tanzania.
Better railway connections, the President has repeatedly argued, are necessary to reduce the cost of transporting goods and improve Uganda’s competitiveness as a landlocked economy.
The discussions also extended beyond trade and infrastructure to skills development and healthcare.
Massoni informed Museveni that doctors from Lubowa Hospital are currently undergoing training in Italy, highlighting the growing cooperation between the two countries in professional skills development.
The training programme adds a human-capital dimension to what has largely been an economic relationship, with cooperation increasingly touching healthcare, technology and professional expertise.
The latest engagement signals an effort by Uganda and Italy to broaden their bilateral relationship beyond traditional diplomatic ties and toward commercial partnerships, investment and knowledge transfer.
The planned Italian delegation visit and the October business forum in Rome are expected to provide the next platforms for turning the discussions into concrete investments and commercial agreements.