KAMPALA – Uganda’s government unveiled an ambitious roadmap to grow its $53 billion economy tenfold by 2040, as Minister of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives Francis Mwebesa officiated the 2025 Trade Review Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Wednesday and Thursday. Under the theme “Leveraging Trade: Towards Uganda’s 10-Fold Growth Strategy,” the event gathered policymakers, business leaders, and international partners to chart a course for securing and expanding markets for Ugandan goods and services.
Mwebesa, addressing a packed audience on the shores of Lake Victoria, stressed the urgency of enhancing trade competitiveness.
“This is about more than trade—it’s about a $500 billion dream,” he said, outlining plans to boost export quality, cut import dependency, and integrate digital tools to access global markets. The conference, held over two days, featured lively debates on trade financing, market access, and sustainable growth, with delegates from government, SMEs, academia, and organizations like TradeMark Africa in attendance.
The sunlit resort buzzed with activity as coffee exporters swapped strategies with tech innovators, while panels dissected Uganda’s trade potential—from matoke to machinery. Mwebesa rallied for stronger partnerships, nodding to support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). “Our goods must compete globally,” he urged, envisioning Ugandan products on shelves worldwide.
The event closed on March 27 with a unified call to transform trade as the backbone of Uganda’s economic leap. Stakeholders endorsed the minister’s blueprint, which hinges on innovation and collaboration to propel the East African nation toward its $500 billion target by 2040. As the lake breeze swept through Munyonyo, Mwebesa’s words echoed as a bold promise: Uganda stands on the cusp of something massive.
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