By Mulengera Reporters
More than 150 business leaders, investors, policymakers and private-sector players from 10 nationalities have converged in Kampala for the 2026 Uganda Trade and Investment Roadshow, seeking to unlock cross-border trade and investments.
Organised by Equity Group, the roadshow is bringing regional and international businesses from 10 countries together with Ugandan enterprises and policymakers to explore opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, trade and the coffee value chain.
Opening the Uganda leg of the mission at Marriott Hotel Kampala on Monday, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Sanjay Tanna said the government is accelerating investment in value addition, manufacturing, innovation and skills to translate its economic potential into jobs and higher incomes.
Tanna said Uganda’s youthful population, natural resources, strategic location and growing regional markets provide a strong foundation for economic growth, but urged businesses to move beyond exporting raw materials into value addition.
He identified agro-processing, minerals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, construction materials and ICT among the sectors with significant potential for investment and value addition.
“We are here to celebrate Equity and the role it has played in transforming the way banking is done,” Tanna said. Adding, “Equity Bank built its foundation by lifting micro-enterprises in Kenya; we invite them to replicate that same grassroots model in rural Uganda to build the capacity of our local traders.”
He challenged Equity to deepen its support for micro, small and medium enterprises, particularly those outside major urban centres, through financial literacy, improved bookkeeping, access to finance and markets.
Tanna said Government was ready to work with financial institutions to reduce investment barriers, lower the cost of capital and create an environment where businesses can expand and create jobs.
Equity Bank Uganda Executive Director Claver Serumaga said the bank’s role extends beyond financing to connecting businesses with markets, technology, capital and strategic partnerships.
“Uganda does not lack opportunity; what we need is to connect that opportunity to the right capital, markets, technology and partnerships,” Serumaga said.
He said the mission was designed to turn business conversations into partnerships, transactions and investment, particularly in sectors such as coffee, agriculture, manufacturing and technology.
A key component of the programme is a Uganda Coffee Value Chain Roundtable, which will bring together major industry players, including Neumann Kaffee Gruppe and Volcafe, alongside local businesses and other value-chain actors.
Delegates will also undertake business and sector visits, including a visit to Zigoti Coffee Farm, JNL Industries, Roofings Uganda Limited and other businesses to gain first-hand insight into Uganda’s productive sectors.
Equity Group Associate Director of Trade Relations, Mahvish Malik, said the missions are designed to move businesses beyond discussions about markets to direct engagement with potential partners.
She said the Group uses targeted business and government engagements, sector experiences and market linkages to facilitate investment, sourcing, partnerships and access to new markets.
The business forum also featured a panel discussion on Uganda’s investment opportunities, trade policies and the business environment. The panel brought together Georgina Mugerwa, Assistant Commissioner, Multilateral Trade; Dr Cosmas Mwikirize, Head of Industrial Value Chains Innovation; and Ronnie Mulongo, private-sector founder, senior leader and project director.
The Uganda leg of the roadshow will run until September 16, after which delegates will travel to Kigali, Rwanda, for the next phase of the programme.
The mission forms part of Equity Group’s broader efforts to promote intra-African trade, regional integration and investment by connecting businesses and investors to markets, financing, technology and commercial networks across the continent. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
