KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda is seeking to position itself as a regional hub for sustainable manufacturing after a delegation from Polish recycling giant VIVE Textile Recycling held talks with government officials on plans to invest in the country’s emerging recycling sector.
The discussions, held in Kampala on Thursday, brought together Uganda’s Minister of State for Privatization and Investment, Hon. Hajjat Aminah Mukalazi, and executives from VIVE Textile Recycling, a company with more than three decades of experience in industrial textile recovery and waste management across Europe.
Led by Mr. Yasser K. Ahmed, the delegation outlined the company’s technology-driven approach to transforming textile waste, plastics and other recyclable materials into commercially viable products. Company representatives said their processes produce recycled textiles, recovered metals and specialized industrial materials used in marine engineering, hydrological works and embankment reinforcement.
The meeting comes as Uganda intensifies efforts to attract environmentally sustainable investments that can create jobs while addressing mounting concerns over waste management and industrial development.
Speaking during the engagement, Mukalazi said Uganda welcomes investors whose projects generate long-term value for local communities.
“We are interested in investments that create employment opportunities for Ugandans, promote technology transfer and make use of locally available raw materials,” she said, according to officials present at the meeting.
She added that the government remains committed to supporting strategic investors through incentives provided under existing legislation, including tax exemptions and access to industrial park facilities. Mukalazi also pledged to coordinate with relevant government agencies to facilitate the company’s establishment should the investment proceed.
Economists from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development who attended the meeting described the proposed project as consistent with Uganda’s broader industrial ambitions.
Among those present were Commissioner for Tax Policy John Byaruhanga, Senior Economist Mark Amanya and Principal Economist Samuel Kiyingi. Officials noted that investment in recycling could help reduce environmental pressures while expanding the country’s manufacturing base.
Uganda has in recent years pursued policies aimed at accelerating industrialization and increasing value addition, with authorities identifying the circular economy as a key pillar of sustainable economic growth. The East African nation has also sought to attract foreign investors willing to establish manufacturing operations that integrate local supply chains.
Analysts say projects focused on recycling and waste-to-product technologies could help address multiple challenges simultaneously, including unemployment, environmental degradation and limited industrial diversification.
If realized, the VIVE Textile Recycling investment would add to a growing portfolio of foreign-backed manufacturing ventures in Uganda and could strengthen the country’s position as a destination for sustainable industrial investment in the region.
