State House, Entebbe | The Black Examiner – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni engaged in a meeting on the 7th of August 2023 with Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdul-Aziz Kattan, the Royal Court Advisor from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The discussions took place at State House Entebbe.
The primary focus of the meeting was to deliberate on potential trade and investment opportunities that could be mutually beneficial for both nations. President Museveni specifically emphasized the potential for Saudi Arabia to contribute to the value addition of Uganda’s coffee industry.
President Museveni urged Saudi Arabia to invest in the processing of coffee, highlighting the economic disparities faced due to selling raw coffee at a substantially lower price compared to processed coffee. Drawing parallels to historical oil markets, he elucidated the transformative potential of value addition in the coffee industry.
Highlighting the existing market for processed coffee globally, President Museveni proposed identifying a company that could undertake coffee processing within Uganda. He reaffirmed the viability of a ready market for processed coffee both internationally and domestically, leveraging agreements such as AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) to facilitate trade with the United States.
In response, Mr. Kattan assured President Museveni of Saudi Arabia’s keenness to collaborate on investment initiatives with Uganda. He encouraged the presentation of project proposals to the Saudi Embassy, expressing the Kingdom’s interest in supporting worthy projects.
Mr. Kattan extended an invitation to President Museveni to attend upcoming summits in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Arabia Summit and the Arab-Africa summit. President Museveni welcomed the invitation, confirming his intent to participate.
The meeting saw the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Gen. Jeje Odongo, alongside a delegation from Saudi Arabia, indicating the significance and broad engagement surrounding the discussions.
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