KAMPALA — Uganda is intensifying efforts to attract Italian investment, with oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, agro-processing and manufacturing among the key sectors being presented to investors at a major business forum in Rome next month.
The Uganda-Italy Business and Investment Forum is scheduled for October 13–14, 2026, bringing together government officials, investors, financial institutions and private-sector players from both countries.
The forum will seek to move Uganda-Italy relations beyond traditional diplomatic engagement towards practical trade, investment, technology-transfer and industrial partnerships.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Italy, Elizabeth Paula Napeyok, said the meeting will provide a platform for businesses from the two countries to identify concrete commercial opportunities and develop partnerships.
According to the organisers, discussions will focus on bankable investment projects, joint ventures, technology transfer and opportunities for Italian companies to establish or expand operations in Uganda.
Oil, energy and pharmaceuticals in focus
Among the priority areas are oil and gas, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agro-industry, manufacturing and agro-mechanisation.
Uganda will also promote opportunities in coffee, tea and cocoa value addition as part of efforts to shift from exporting raw commodities towards processing, packaging and higher-value production.
The government is further expected to pitch the “Made with Italy in Uganda” concept, encouraging Italian manufacturers to establish production facilities in Uganda.
The initiative is intended to support local manufacturing, skills development, technology transfer and industrialisation.
Business deals beyond speeches
The Rome meeting is expected to include business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) meetings, sector roundtables, matchmaking sessions and networking engagements.
The Uganda Embassy in Italy is expected to play a key role in connecting Ugandan businesses and government institutions with potential Italian partners.
Ambassador Napeyok has argued that Uganda’s strategic location, natural resources, young population and access to the wider East African and African markets could make the country attractive to Italian investors.
Italy has also identified Uganda among its priority African countries for economic engagement, according to the ambassador.
The forum comes amid growing Uganda-Italy cooperation in areas including coffee, infrastructure, healthcare, trade and investment. Earlier engagements between the two countries also highlighted opportunities for Italian companies to participate in Uganda’s development projects.
The event will be held in Rome, with Italian interpretation available for participants. Organisers say the ultimate focus will be on turning discussions into commercial partnerships, investment and technology-transfer opportunities.
For Uganda, the Rome forum presents another opportunity to market the country not only as a destination for foreign goods, but also as a potential production and investment hub serving the wider East African and African markets.
