By Karim Were
The Uganda–Italy Business and Investment Forum in Rome will bring together government officials, businesses and investors to explore opportunities in agro-processing, energy, manufacturing, healthcare and infrastructure.
KAMPALA-Uganda and Italy are preparing to deepen their economic partnership through a high-level business and investment forum in Rome that will seek to attract Italian capital, technology and industrial expertise into Uganda while opening new opportunities for bilateral trade.
The Uganda–Italy Business and Investment Forum 2026, themed “Unlocking Shared Prosperity,” is scheduled for October 13 in Rome, where Ugandan government representatives, investment agencies, businesses, financial institutions and Italian companies are expected to discuss concrete investment opportunities and potential partnerships.
The forum is being promoted by the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Italy, with support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Italy (UNIDO ITPO Italy), Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo and Bergs&More. The event will be held at the Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The meeting is expected to focus on practical business opportunities rather than diplomatic engagement alone, including business-to-business and business-to-government discussions between Ugandan and Italian counterparts.
According to UNIDO ITPO Italy, the programme will include an institutional session followed by thematic panels and B2B and B2G meetings. Areas of interest include agribusiness and agro-processing, energy, manufacturing and industrial development, production machinery and technology, healthcare, logistics and related services.
Uganda positions itself as investment gateway
Uganda’s case for Italian investment is closely linked to its geographical position in East Africa and its access to regional markets.
The country is a member of the East African Community, giving investors a platform to serve markets beyond Uganda’s domestic economy. Uganda’s investment proposition also includes its agricultural potential, natural resources, expanding infrastructure and opportunities for value addition.
The Italian Embassy in Kampala describes East Africa as an increasingly integrated and expanding market and says Uganda’s membership in the EAC provides access to a regional market covering Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi.
For Uganda, the emphasis of the forum is therefore expected to extend beyond attracting individual investments. The broader objective is to encourage Italian companies to establish production, processing and technology partnerships in the country that can serve both the Ugandan market and wider African markets.
The forum’s organisers have identified several sectors where such partnerships could potentially be developed.
These include healthcare and pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, oil and gas, coffee, tea and cocoa processing, agricultural mechanisation, manufacturing and industrial parks.
The proposed concept of “Made with Italy in Uganda” is particularly significant because it points towards a model in which Italian technology, capital and industrial expertise could be combined with Uganda’s resources, labour force and market access.
Agro-processing among priority areas
Agriculture is expected to be one of the most important areas of discussion at the forum.
Uganda has a large agricultural base, but policymakers and investors have increasingly placed emphasis on moving from the export of raw commodities towards processing and value addition.
Coffee is likely to be an important component of that discussion.
Uganda and Italy have already been discussing cooperation around the country’s coffee sector. In August, Italian Ambassador to Uganda Mauro Massoni met President Yoweri Museveni, with discussions covering trade, investment, infrastructure and agricultural processing.
The Ugandan Embassy in Rome said the discussions included an ongoing coffee development project intended to support Uganda’s coffee sector and smallholder farmers. It also said the Italian delegation was involved in preparations for a Coffee House at Kyambogo University.
The discussions demonstrate how the investment forum fits into broader bilateral economic engagement rather than standing as an isolated event.
For Uganda, attracting investment into coffee processing could help increase the value retained within the country, create employment and strengthen linkages between farmers, processors and export markets.
Similar opportunities exist in tea, cocoa and other agricultural commodities where investment in processing, packaging, logistics and technology could support the development of higher-value exports.
Manufacturing and industrialisation
Industrial development is another central pillar of the proposed partnership.
Uganda is seeking to increase manufacturing capacity and encourage greater private-sector participation in industrialisation. The forum provides an opportunity to present Italian manufacturers with potential projects involving machinery, production technologies, industrial parks and processing facilities.
The proposed “Made with Italy in Uganda” approach could be particularly relevant to small and medium-sized Italian enterprises that possess specialised technologies but are seeking opportunities to expand into African markets.
UNIDO ITPO Italy has identified manufacturing, industrial development, machinery and production technologies among the sectors of interest for the October forum.
The focus on SMEs is important because Italy’s industrial economy includes a large network of specialised small and medium-sized businesses.
For Uganda, partnerships with such firms could potentially provide more than financial investment. They could also facilitate technology transfer, technical training, quality improvement and the development of local supply chains.
Energy, infrastructure and oil and gas
Energy is also among the sectors identified for potential cooperation.
Uganda is pursuing increased investment in electricity generation, renewable energy and energy-related infrastructure, while its emerging oil and gas industry continues to generate demand for technology, services and infrastructure.
The forum’s focus on energy and industrialisation comes as Uganda and Italy discuss broader infrastructure cooperation.
The Italian Embassy in Kampala said in August that Ambassador Massoni and Finance Minister Henry Musasizi discussed new opportunities for cooperation and investment, including proposals related to Uganda’s coffee sector, waste management and greater Italian participation in strategic infrastructure projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway.
These discussions suggest that the relationship is gradually expanding from traditional development cooperation towards a broader economic partnership involving private companies and large infrastructure projects.
For Italian companies, participation in Uganda’s infrastructure development could create opportunities in engineering, construction, equipment supply, logistics and specialised services.
Healthcare and skills development
Healthcare and pharmaceuticals have also been identified as priority areas for the forum.
Uganda’s growing population and expanding health sector create demand for medical equipment, pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare infrastructure, specialised services and professional training.
The two countries are already developing cooperation in this area.
The Ugandan Embassy in Rome reported that doctors from Lubowa Hospital were undertaking training in Italy, describing the initiative as part of broader cooperation in healthcare and skills development.
Such partnerships could potentially support technology transfer and professional capacity building alongside investment.
The forum’s organisers have similarly identified healthcare as one of the sectors in which Ugandan and Italian companies can explore new commercial relationships.
The Mattei Plan and Italy’s Africa strategy
The planned forum is also taking place within a wider Italian strategy to strengthen economic and development partnerships with Africa.
Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa has placed greater emphasis on partnerships with African countries in areas including energy, food security, infrastructure, industrial development and skills.
Uganda is among the African countries identified as a priority country under Italy’s 2024–2026 development cooperation framework. The Italian Foreign Ministry lists Uganda alongside other African countries covered by its cooperation priorities under the broader Mattei Plan framework.
Italy has also developed financing mechanisms intended to encourage private-sector involvement in African markets.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said in July that Africa accounted for 52 per cent of the geographical destination of certain Italian development-finance resources, with major areas of investment including energy security and infrastructure, enterprises and industrial settlements, water, agriculture and food security.
The ministry also outlined instruments such as the Plafond Africa, Misura Africa, the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa as part of the financing architecture supporting investment and development cooperation.
These mechanisms could provide an important context for Italian companies considering investment partnerships in Uganda, although individual projects would still need to meet applicable financing, commercial and regulatory requirements.
Business-to-business engagement
One of the most important elements of the Rome forum will be the opportunity for companies to engage directly.
UNIDO ITPO Italy says the programme will include B2B and B2G meetings between Italian participants and Ugandan counterparts.
Such meetings can help move investment discussions from general expressions of interest towards specific projects, partnerships and commercial arrangements.
The forum’s objectives include promoting Uganda as an investment destination, strengthening economic and industrial cooperation, presenting concrete investment projects and facilitating technology transfer and skills development.
The emphasis on bankable projects is particularly important.
Investors generally require detailed information on project viability, financing structures, regulatory requirements, expected returns, market access and risk management before committing significant capital.
Presenting projects in a clear and investment-ready form could therefore determine whether the forum results in actual investments or remains primarily a networking event.
A relationship already gaining momentum
The October forum follows a series of recent engagements between Ugandan and Italian officials.
In August, President Museveni received Ambassador Massoni at State House in Entebbe. According to ANSA, the discussions focused on strengthening Uganda-Italy relations in trade, investment, infrastructure and agricultural processing, as well as preparations for the upcoming Uganda Business Forum.
The Ugandan Embassy in Rome also reported that preparations for the forum were discussed as part of wider bilateral engagement.
The meetings indicate that both governments are seeking to build an economic relationship that includes trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, technology and skills development.
This is consistent with Italy’s broader push to deepen economic ties with African countries and Uganda’s effort to attract foreign investment into productive sectors.
What Uganda needs to gain
For Uganda, the success of the forum will ultimately depend on whether discussions translate into measurable economic outcomes.
Investment commitments can create jobs, increase production capacity, expand exports and generate demand for local suppliers. Technology partnerships can also improve productivity and introduce new skills and production standards.
However, attracting investment alone is not sufficient.
Uganda will need to ensure that investment projects are commercially viable, environmentally responsible and properly integrated into the domestic economy. Strong regulatory institutions, predictable policies, reliable infrastructure and access to skilled labour will remain important factors in determining whether prospective investors move from interest to implementation.
The government will also need to ensure that local businesses, farmers and workers benefit from new partnerships through supply-chain opportunities, training and technology transfer.
For Italian companies, Uganda’s appeal will depend partly on its ability to provide a predictable investment environment and efficient access to regional markets.
Regional significance
The forum has significance beyond the bilateral Uganda-Italy relationship.
East Africa is increasingly viewed as a market with opportunities for investment in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy and services.
Uganda’s position within the EAC means that investments established in the country can potentially be connected to regional supply chains and consumer markets.
The Italian Embassy in Kampala has specifically highlighted Uganda’s regional integration as an opportunity for Italian companies seeking to enter an expanding East African market.
At the continental level, the African Continental Free Trade Area also provides a wider framework for African economic integration and trade.
This means that investment in Uganda could potentially form part of a broader strategy for companies seeking to establish African production and distribution networks, subject to applicable trade rules and market conditions.
Beyond the forum
The Rome meeting will be an important test of whether the growing diplomatic relationship between Uganda and Italy can be converted into deeper commercial ties.
The immediate objective is to connect businesses and investors. The longer-term objective is more ambitious: to build industrial partnerships capable of generating employment, expanding production, increasing exports and transferring technology.
The forum will also provide Uganda with an opportunity to present itself not simply as a source of agricultural commodities and natural resources, but as a potential location for processing, manufacturing and technology-driven investment.
For Italy, the engagement offers an opportunity to strengthen its economic presence in East Africa while participating in Uganda’s industrial and economic transformation.
The outcome will therefore be measured not only by the number of companies attending or meetings held, but by whether the discussions produce credible investment projects, partnerships and follow-up actions.
With both countries placing greater emphasis on trade, industrialisation, technology and private-sector cooperation, the Uganda–Italy Business and Investment Forum could become an important platform for reshaping their economic relationship around investment and shared production.
As the October meeting approaches, the key question will be whether the opportunities presented in Rome can be converted into projects that deliver lasting value for businesses, investors and the Ugandan economy.
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