President Museveni meets Egyptian investors at State House Entebbe on October 29, 2026
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I President Yoweri Museveni has endorsed a proposal by Egyptian investors to establish an industrial park in Uganda to process coffee and cotton, pledging government support in identifying suitable land for the project.
“The idea is good. We shall identify for you an area where you can construct,” Museveni said.
The proposed industrial park is intended to provide facilities for factories that can add value to Uganda’s agricultural produce, as the government seeks to expand manufacturing, create economic opportunities and improve the competitiveness of locally produced goods.
Museveni made the remarks on October 29, 2026, while meeting a delegation of Egyptian investors at State House, Entebbe. The delegation was led by Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Egypt, Lt. Gen. Charles Angina.
The President urged the investors to consider Uganda’s opportunities in infrastructure development and value addition, noting that the country produces substantial quantities of agricultural products, minerals and forest resources but needs more factories to process these resources before they reach the market.
He said Uganda’s economy is anchored on four key sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and information and communications technology (ICT), all of which depend on reliable and affordable infrastructure.
President Museveni (C) hosts Egyptian investors and Ugandan officials at State House Entebbe on October 29, 2026
“The first sector is commercial agriculture. We produce a lot. That is why we want value addition. The second sector is manufacturing based on agricultural raw materials, minerals and forest products. The third sector is services and the fourth is ICT,” he said.
The proposed coffee and cotton industrial park would support the processing of locally produced raw materials into higher-value products, rather than relying mainly on the sale of unprocessed commodities. However, the investors are yet to identify the specific location and details of the proposed facility.
Museveni welcomed the delegation’s interest in partnering with Uganda and said the government was ready to work with the investors on strategic projects. He supported their proposal to sign a memorandum of understanding covering one or two priority investments.
Eng. Moustafa Saad Soliman Elsayed Ahamed, an Egyptian investor in the construction sector, thanked Museveni for what he described as a stable environment for investment. He said the delegation was interested in Uganda’s infrastructure priorities, including roads, railways, water and electricity.
“We are here to build on the momentum between Egypt and Uganda. We are ready to identify key strategic and priority projects that we can partner with you to make them happen,” he said.
“We assure you that we are ready to work with you and help develop Uganda’s infrastructure because this is our sister country. Africa must develop Africa, no matter what,” he added.
Beyond manufacturing, Museveni identified irrigation as another important investment opportunity, arguing that dependence on rain-fed agriculture exposes farmers to climate-related challenges and makes agricultural production less predictable.
“The third area of priority in infrastructure is irrigation because we need to stabilise agriculture,” he said.
He explained that irrigation would enable farmers to produce throughout the year, supporting commercial agriculture and ensuring a more consistent supply of raw materials for factories. Such reliability would be important for agro-processing industries that need regular supplies to maintain production.
The President also urged the investors to explore opportunities in electricity generation, saying high power costs can undermine the competitiveness of Ugandan products in international markets.
“We need electricity. We want an economy which produces competitive products that can compete globally. That means the price of electricity must not be too high,” he said.
He noted that electricity infrastructure could be developed by government or private investors with patient capital.
Museveni further called for greater investment in railway transport to reduce cargo costs, saying moving goods from roads to railways would make transportation cheaper. He also encouraged private investment in toll roads, through which investors can recover their expenditure from user charges.
“The main roads are mainly done by the government, but the private sector does the toll roads which can be used to recover the funds of the investors,” he said.
The meeting brought together other members of the Egyptian delegation, including Khalil Mohamed Ahmed, Dr Sally Atef Saad Atia Bahr, Yasser Raouf Mohamed Abdallah El-Saadany, Dr Alaa El Essawy, Mohamed El Daly and Abdulmanaeim Mohamed.
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