By Karim Were
ENTEBBE** — President Yoweri Museveni has directed relevant government ministries to accelerate support for Uganda’s automotive industry following the successful completion of the **Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025** by Kiira Motors Corporation.
The President made the call while hosting the **Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025 Homecoming Luncheon**, held to celebrate the successful journey of the **Kayoola E-Coach** from Uganda to South Africa and back.
Museveni congratulated the Kiira Motors team for what he described as a landmark achievement, saying the expedition demonstrates Africa’s growing capacity to design, manufacture and export home-grown technology.
“This achievement shows that Africa can design, manufacture and export its own technology,” the President said.
He noted that Uganda’s industrialisation agenda is aimed at rebuilding the productive economy that existed before colonialism, when artisans and indigenous innovation played a central role in economic development.
According to Museveni, modern industrialisation should build on that foundation by promoting local manufacturing, technological innovation and value addition.
To fast-track the country’s industrial transformation, the President directed the relevant ministries and agencies to expedite financing for strategic manufacturing projects, guarantee markets for locally manufactured buses through government off-take arrangements, and support investment in battery production to strengthen Uganda’s electric vehicle industry.
He emphasised the need for greater urgency in implementing industrial development programmes, saying delays could slow the country’s economic transformation.
“We must stop working slowly. Uganda’s industrial transformation cannot wait,” Museveni said.
The **Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025** saw the locally manufactured **Kayoola E-Coach** complete a cross-continental journey from Uganda to South Africa and back, showcasing the country’s advances in electric mobility and automotive engineering.
The expedition has been hailed as a major milestone for Uganda’s manufacturing sector and a demonstration of the country’s ambition to position itself as a regional hub for vehicle production, innovation and clean transport solutions.
