President Museveni hosts Italian Business Persons

Summary:

• President Museveni of Uganda appeals for private sector investment from Europe, particularly in coffee value addition and healthcare, during a meeting with an Italian delegation led by Ambassador Stefano Gatti. Italy expresses commitment to Uganda’s development priorities, focusing on coffee, livestock, agro-foods, and healthcare sectors.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in a meeting with a delegation from Italy led by Ambassador Stefano Gatti, Director General of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation at State House Entebbe, stressed the importance of private sector capital from Europe to drive Uganda’s development.

Expressing gratitude to Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, for promptly dispatching a delegation to explore investment opportunities, President Museveni highlighted Uganda’s abundant natural resources and vast investment potential. Emphasizing the need for European collaboration, he urged investors to establish factories for value addition to Uganda’s coffee production, which currently stands at 9 million bags annually and is poised for further growth with irrigation.

President Museveni also urged Italian investors to consider ventures in manufacturing veterinary drugs, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals to reduce import dependency. Commending Uganda’s dairy industry success, with milk production increasing from 200 million to 5 billion liters annually, he emphasized the potential for further growth and cooperation.

In response, Ambassador Stefano Gatti affirmed Italy’s commitment to Uganda’s development, identifying the coffee sector as a priority for collaboration, with a focus on mitigating climate change effects and enhancing value addition. He proposed joint efforts in livestock, agro-foods, and healthcare, citing Italy’s expertise and technology transfer capabilities.

The delegation’s visit marks Uganda’s emergence as a new priority country for Italy’s development cooperation, with key government officials and ministers in attendance, including Dr. Monica Musenero, Hon. Matia Kasaija, and Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu.

Ambassador Stefano Gatti informed President Museveni that Uganda is a new priority country for Italy’s development cooperation