President Museveni has hosted former South African President Jacob Zuma at State Lodge Nakasero, where the two leaders held discussions aimed at strengthening business and investment cooperation between Uganda and South Africa.
The meeting brought together government officials and investors to explore opportunities for collaboration in strategic sectors of Uganda’s economy, including energy generation, power transmission, irrigation, and value addition to mineral resources.
President Museveni welcomed Zuma and his delegation, describing their investment proposals as progressive and beneficial to Uganda’s industrialization agenda. He reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting serious investors, particularly those focused on manufacturing and agricultural production.
“Energy is the bone marrow of the economy, and here either the government does it or partners with private investors with soft capital, and we ensure that the cost of power is cheap to support manufacturing,” President Museveni said.
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The President emphasized that Uganda remains focused on key economic enablers such as affordable electricity, railway transport, and accessible financing to strengthen the country’s productive sectors.
“We are very strict with the price of electricity, transport by rail, and the cost of money. We want to fund manufacturing and agriculture. These are a must; without them, the economy will collapse,” he added.
The discussions also highlighted Uganda’s continued push toward value addition and industrial development as part of broader efforts to expand exports, create jobs, and reduce the export of raw materials.
Former President Zuma thanked President Museveni for the warm welcome and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing investment cooperation between Uganda and South Africa.
Also present at the meeting was Eng. Irene Batebe, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, who is expected to lead further engagements with the South African delegation to identify specific areas of collaboration in the energy sector.
