Uganda and the United Arab Emirates are preparing to turn rapidly expanding trade and investment ties into a deeper pipeline of commercial deals, with the fifth UAE-Uganda Business Forum set to bring businesses from both markets together in October.
Scheduled for 26 to 29 October 2026, the forum will take place across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah and is expected to bring together senior government officials, business leaders, investors, financial institutions and chambers of commerce. Ugandan companies will use the platform to showcase the country’s investment and export opportunities while seeking buyers, investors and strategic partners across the UAE and wider Gulf markets.
The timing reflects the speed at which bilateral economic relations have expanded. Trade between Uganda and the UAE reached US$4.7 billion in 2025, up sharply from US$2.7 billion in 2024 and just US$600 million in 2018. The UAE has also emerged as a major destination for Ugandan exports, strengthening its importance as companies seek entry into high-value Gulf markets.
Investment has followed a similar trajectory. UAE foreign direct investment in Uganda rose from about US$300 million in 2018 to US$3.5 billion in 2025. People-to-people links have expanded alongside the commercial relationship, with Uganda’s community in the UAE growing to more than 150,000 people in 2025 from roughly 50,000 in 2018. Ambassador Zaake Kibedi said the fifth edition of the forum is intended to move the relationship beyond diplomatic engagement and towards measurable commercial outcomes.
The agenda will cover agriculture and agro-processing, trade and exports, mining and minerals, tourism, infrastructure, energy, logistics and air cargo, manufacturing, financial services and technology. The forum offers an opportunity to position the country not simply as an exporter of commodities but as an investment destination capable of supporting value-added production and regional supply chains. In addition, the UAE, meanwhile, offers Ugandan businesses access to one of the world’s most connected commercial hubs, as well as potential gateways into broader Gulf and international markets.
Organisers say the success of the forum will ultimately be judged by what happens after the meetings, with contracts signed, investments secured, exports generated, partnerships established and jobs created serving as the key measures of impact. Uganda’s mission in the UAE is already working to identify investment and trade opportunities, conduct market intelligence, facilitate business matchmaking and assist Ugandan companies seeking to enter international markets. The fifth forum therefore comes at a pivotal point in the relationship. With bilateral trade having multiplied several times since 2018 and UAE investment in Uganda expanding rapidly, the focus is shifting from building a relationship to extracting greater economic value from it.
