Uganda's Minister for the Presidency, Babirye Milly Babalanda, has urged investors and industrial partners to support the country's industrialization and value-addition agenda. At the Industrial Transformation Africa (ITAF) 2026 conference in Casablanca, Morocco, she emphasized Uganda's need for investment, technology transfer, and strategic partnerships. This, she believes, will help transform the country's raw materials into higher-value products and drive economic growth.
Minister Babalanda conveyed greetings from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni to the conference organizers and participants. She highlighted Uganda's development priorities, which include a shift from exporting unprocessed commodities to value addition, manufacturing, and producing finished goods. The Minister noted that opportunities exist in various sectors, including agro-processing, coffee, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy.
The Minister encouraged investors and technology partners to explore opportunities in Uganda, citing the country's growing domestic market, strategic position in East Africa, and expanding industrial base. She emphasized the importance of technology in industrial transformation, highlighting Industry 4.0, digitalization, automation, and modern production technologies as key tools for improving productivity and competitiveness.
Minister Babalanda stressed the need for technology partnerships to be accompanied by skills development and knowledge transfer. This, she believes, will enable Ugandan workers and enterprises to operate, maintain, and benefit from modern industrial systems. She also underscored the importance of mechanizing agriculture and moving away from traditional farming methods to increase productivity and strengthen agro-processing.
The Minister highlighted the potential for cooperation in agriculture and agro-processing, including food processing, agricultural technologies, and irrigation. She noted that Uganda stands to benefit from earning more from processed and value-added products than from exporting raw materials. ITAF 2026, she said, provides a platform for Uganda to engage investors, technology providers, and African partners in identifying opportunities for industrial cooperation and technology transfer.
Minister Babalanda emphasized that Uganda's young and growing population represents an important economic asset when supported with skills, employment opportunities, and productive industries. She called on investors and partners to consider Uganda's growing domestic market, strategic position, and opportunities for value addition when considering investment and industrial partnerships.
The Minister concluded by reaffirming Uganda's commitment to building a modern, productive, and competitive economy through industrial transformation. She encouraged investors, technology providers, and industrial partners to explore opportunities in Uganda and contribute to the country's ongoing economic transformation.
Key points
- Minister Babalanda calls for investment and partnerships to drive Uganda's industrialization and value-addition agenda.
- Uganda seeks to transform raw materials into higher-value products and drive economic growth through industrialization.
- The country aims to attract investment, technology, and manufacturing capacity to support value addition and create employment.
