By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa, Umoja Standard.
Kampala, Uganda: Uganda Agribusiness Alliance (UAA) with funding support from the Small Foundation and in Partnership with the Uganda Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, convened on convened a roundtable meeting with a delegation from FoodCo National Foodstuff PJSC, Emirati Group, Founder and Board Member Assalam Bank on Friday 29th August 2025 at the UAA Bukoto Office. The meeting explored partnership opportunities available in the Agriculture Sector.
The Roundtable Meeting was moderated by Hon. Dr. Victoria Sekitoleko Founder and Board Chairperson UAA, the Uganda Embassy in the UAE was represented by Ms, Ashah Nabbanja 1st Secretary/In-charge Economic & Commercial Diplomacy, and the invited Agribusiness Entrepreneurs were able represented by Counsel Martin Roy Lukwago- Commercial Lawyer and Poultry Agribusiness Entrepreneur.
The Agriculture Values Chains that were presented to the Delegation of Investors of the UAE included: Horticulture, Poultry, Ginger, Mangoes, and Cocoa. Each of the invited Agribusiness Entrepreneur were given an opportunity to market their Agriculture Commodities to the Investors. This initiative aligns very well with UAA’s mandate to convene Agriculture Value Chain Actors and link Agribusiness Entrepreneurs to Markets for better profits.
In his remarks, Dr. Mohammed Ali Khamis Ahosani, Chairman of International Market Group and FoodCo, a UAE-based national foodstuff company, noted, is on a fact-finding mission to Uganda to explore potential food exports and expansion of Foodco to Uganda. FoodCo, established in 1979, has its own brands, including Shahrazad, Masterchef, and Virginia, and deals in a wide range of food products.
Dr. Ahosani’s mission aims to identify products that can be exported to the UAE and assess their feasibility. He proposes building cold storage and logistics facilities in Uganda to extend the shelf life of products and facilitate their export. “FoodCo is looking for partners to collaborate on exporting products not currently available in the UAE market and building the capacity of Ugandan Agribusiness Entrepreneurs in UAE & International Standards and quality compliance for International competitiveness.
Generally, the UAE Investors were interested in acquiring suitable land for; a) agricultural development and storage; b) Establishing a training centre for K9 dog handling, and; c) Establishing training facilities for security and facility management.
Hon. Victoria Ssekitoleko, Board Chairperson – Uganda Agribusiness Alliance advocates for a value chain approach in Uganda’s agricultural sector, saying, “Whatever commodity we want to produce, let us produce it as a value chain.” By organizing farmers into groups, it becomes easier for organizations and buyers to work with them, enabling Uganda’s domestic value chains to integrate into international ones.
Ssekitoleko notes that potential buyers are interested in Ugandan products like ginger, avocados, cocoa, and eggs, with huge demand for these commodities. “The potential is huge, it’s up to Uganda to sort ourselves,” she says, urging farmers to work together to meet this demand.She also advises against complaining about non-tariff barriers, asking, “If there is somebody else buying, why are there no NTBs?”.
“We don’t want middlemen anymore,” she says, emphasizing the need for direct collaboration between farmers, buyers, and organizations to increase competitiveness in the global market and capitalize on opportunities.
The Uganda Embassy in the UAE is ready to bridge the gap between farmers and markets. “We are ready to facilitate and create a bridge between the farmers and also the market,” says Ms. Ashah Nabbanja, the 1st Secretary In charge of Economic and Commercial Diplomacy at the Ugandan Embassy in the UAE. She stressed that, the embassy invites farmers to share their company profiles and production capabilities, which in turn is sent to potential buyers. “The embassy also organizes business forums in the UAE and Kampala, where private sector players can network and market their products,”she stated.
Dr. Julian Adyeri Omara, Chairperson of Nwoya Fruit Growers Cooperative Society, who boasts 18,000 out growers and 2,000 acres of fruit farming land plans to export dried and fresh mangoes and guavas to the Arab Emirates, however cited challenges in meeting standards and accessing markets directly.
Dr. Omara appeals to the government to support farmers in producing export-quality products, particularly in addressing issues like fruit flies.
For, Counsel Martin Roy Lukwago, a chicken farmer and chairman of the Association of Commercial Layer Farmers Association, believes Uganda’s poultry industry has immense potential. “We have a capacity to produce on average about 1.8 million trays per day,” he says, translating to 12.5 million trays per week.Lukwago is confident that Ugandan farmers can meet the demand for eggs and poultry products, having previously exported to countries like Saudi Arabia, Kenya, South Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.
The UAE Delegation aim to further construct a factory but revealed how they need to conduct feasibility studies to assess production and costs, which process may take some time, but plan to return with a detailed plan after completing their studies and are looking forward to another meeting to discuss their investment plans.
