Rwakakamba Morrison
The Fourth Uganda-UAE Business Forum will take place this week from October 27 to 29, 2025, in Kampala. This signature event will bring together 500+ business leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from both nations. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a powerhouse investor in Africa, committing over $110 billion to the continent over the past few years, with a focus on East Africa for resources, food security, and infrastructure.
Uganda, with its projected 6-6.5% GDP growth in FY2025/26 driven by oil and gas, minerals and agricultural products stands out as an ideal partner. Bilateral trade hit $2.85 billion by September 2025, and UAE foreign direct investment (FDI) surged to $3.5 billion in 2024—a tenfold increase since 2018—primarily in renewables, oil/gas, and agro-industry. And yes, it is the UAE investors who are slated to build a positively consequential oil refinery in Uganda.
This momentum, without a doubt positions Uganda to capture more UAE capital, especially in high-synergy sectors like agriculture, oil and gas, energy, minerals and logistics. In fact, UAE sovereign wealth funds; ADIA and Mubadala plus family offices drove $64.3 billion in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Africa Foreign Direct Investment from 2012-2025. In March 2025 Uganda signed five additional investment deals in aviation, logistics, and digital systems. The UAE’s diversification agenda aligns perfectly with Uganda’s strengths: its vast arable land for agribusiness (to support UAE food imports), untapped minerals and oil reserves, and Uganda’s strategic East African gateway status.
Uganda and UAE investors will be focused on synergistic sectors and the top UAE interest is Agribusiness. This is because Uganda’s 80% arable land supports UAE food security goals because indeed UAE imports 80% of its food. Therefore, joint ventures with Ugandan investors in processing coffee, beef, maize, and horticulture for export to Dubai should be expected. UAE firms like Al Dahra already eye African agribusiness for $110 billion in continent-wide commitments. The other hot sector is
Energy (Renewables and Oil/Gas). Uganda will definitely showcase its 1,500 MW hydropower potential and upcoming $4.5 billion oil pipeline with an eye to tap into UAE’s $72 billion investment into African renewables through majorly Masdar company which is UAE’s global clean energy pioneer.
UAE investments in Africa emphasize “long-game” plays especially in mining and logistics, where Uganda’s growth outpaces regional peers. Therefore, infrastructure and logistics is going to be central. Here, Ugandan investors have an opportunity to partner with UAE investors to build affordable housing and cargo hubs, leveraging Uganda’s EAC-COMESA access to 600 million consumers while tapping into Uganda’s tailored incentives, tax holidays and 10 to 15% annual returns in logistics, infrastructure and other sectors like agriculture, tourism and energy.
Ugandan and UAE investors will also have eyes on what both countries import. This is vital to lubricate import substitution investments. Uganda’s total merchandise imports reached approximately $13.83 billion in 2024, up from $9.75 billion in 2022, driven by rising demand for energy, food, and industrial inputs amid 6%+ GDP growth. Agricultural and food imports alone hit $604.8 million in 2024, accounting for about 4-5% of total imports. Uganda imports over 60% of its edible oils and key grains despite 80% arable land. These gaps offer prime import substitution potential, where local production can reduce the $2-3 billion annual trade deficit.
UAE investors are ideally positioned here, given their $110 billion+ commitments to African agribusiness for food security and expertise in processing technology. Recent UAE-Uganda deals, like the $1.4 billion agro-investment push in maize and soybeans, underscore synergies. It is therefore, very plausible the potential new investors in the edible oil production and processing, grains production and processing will be at hand at the Business Forum. Import substitution could save $500 million+ annually, create 50,000+ jobs, and boost non-oil exports to 15% by 2027 for Uganda. Uganda’s NDP IV prioritizes agro-industrialization, with at least $2 billion Foreign Direct Investment target.
Uganda’s top eleven annual imports with aggregated value estimates from trade data are refined petroleum (Fuels, diesel and gasoline) now at $3 billion; Mechanical appliances, engines and industrial equipment now at $1.5 billion; Cars, trucks and parts at $900 million; Wiring , Transformers and electronics now at $900 million; Pharmaceutical products at $700 million; Iron and steel products now at $600 million; Polymers and packaging materials at $500 million; Fertilizers and industrial chemicals at $400 million; Cereals (Wheat, rice and maize) now at $300 million; Edible Oils now at $250 million; Printing paper and cardboard at $250 million.
UAE’s top imports all estimated in billions of dollars include pearls, precious stones, coins and metals ($114 billion); Electrical machinery and equipment ($63 billion), Machinery, nuclear reactors and boilers ($40 billion); Minerals, oils and distillation products ($21 billion); Medicines, vaccines and medical chemicals ($5 billion).
There is already trust between the two Nation States and the above dollar millions and billions present opportunities for Ugandan and UAE investors. This is even before we look at the broader African and Gulf markets. Now businesses and officials from both sides will need to drill through these numbers, itemize opportunities and begin execution. Ugandan investors and officialdom must know that UAE investors prioritize ease of repatriation (after tax) and low bureaucracy. The Ugandan investors and officialdom will also need to highlight double taxation avoidance between Uganda and UAE under the 2023 bilateral agreement. One other ways to catalyze this engagement is to perhaps establish a UAE-Uganda Investment Council for quarterly reviews, ensuring quick dispute resolution and expansion support. It’s a great week for business! It’s a great week for win-win cooperation between Uganda and the United Arab Emirates!
Morrison Rwakakamba
Coffee Farmer, Rukungiri.
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