The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The United Kingdom Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda and Rwanda Lord Popat Dolar has said he will lead a delegation to Uganda comprising of senior officials from 12 UK companies to explore investment opportunities.
He said the companies include retailers Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose, according to a statement by the Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Public Diplomacy.
Dolar, who was born in Uganda and now a businessman in the UK and now a Tory peer for life, didn’t specify the date for the visit but said June 2019.
He was speaking at UK Business Forum for Uganda organized by Uganda’s High Commissioner to the UK Ambassador Julius Peter Muto, whose theme was ‘Partnering for Development’. The forum took place at College Court hotel, Leicester.
Muto called on UK companies to seize opportunities in Uganda and the East African Community (EAC) which boasts of a population of up to 600m people.
Last October, Dolar hosted President Museveni at the House of Lords, when the latter had gone to attend the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference. The meeting was, however, criticized by the general public in Britain, saying the host for letting Museveni visit parliament on a day when neither the Lords nor Commons were sitting, so he could not be challenged on his rights records by any ministers.
At the meeting, Uganda National Oil Company Boss Dr Josephine Wapakabulo presented on the opportunities available in Uganda oil and gas industry. Private Sector Foundation of Uganda boss Gideon Badagawa also presented on opportunities available in Uganda.
A visit by Waitrose and Sainsbury’s would be important in the Ugandan perspective because the country has been struggling to have its coffee and tea in the shelves of big supermarkets in UK.
Uganda’s trade with the UK is modest but heavily tilted in favour of London, with Kampala only managing to export goods worth $10 million there last year, which was a drop from $15 million goods exported in 2017.
Uganda imported goods worth $71 million from the UK last year, up from $58 million in 2017.
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