NEWS– The Prime Minister of Uganda Rt Hon Robinah Nabbanja and several Cabinet Ministers have met Italian investors and discussed strategies of bolstering trade and investment between the two countries.
The meeting is a follow-up on the Mattei Plan that came out of the Italy-Africa Summit at the end of January this year in Rome where the Prime Minister represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and e meeting took place at the office of the Prime Minister in Kampala and the Italian delegation was led by the Italian Ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Mauro Massoni and comprised of Infrastructure and energy companies.
Prime Minister Nabbanja welcomed the investors saying that Uganda is the best investment destination for Italy and Europe because of its conducive investment policies and the prevailing peace and lauded the Italian government for the swift action as agreed during the meeting with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister while in Rome at the end of January this year.
The Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Hon Dr Ruth Nankabirwa who attended the meeting said that investors need to add value to minerals because President Yoweri Museveni is encouraging value addition on all products being exported from the country.
The Minister for ICT and National Guidance Hon Dr Chris Baryomunsi said that Uganda is ready to implement all interventions that require digital infrastructure and investment in ICT while the Minister of State for Finance Amos Lugolobi said that his ministry is ready to offer all the necessary support to any investor especially the Italians to spur economic development.
While speaking at the same event, the Italian Ambassador to Uganda Mauro Massoni said that more Italian investors are increasingly getting interested in investing in Uganda saying that several investors expressed willingness to invest in Uganda because of the prevailing conducive environment.
The Italian investors who are in Uganda to attend the ongoing Uganda-EU Business Forum are slated to meet President Yoweri Museveni tomorrow March 6th 2024 to concretize the relations and another team of investors is expected to jet into the country later this month to strategize on how they can invest in Uganda.
The Italy-Africa Summit under the theme “A bridge for common growth”, held in Rome on 29th January, opened up doors for investment in Uganda after Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the guidelines of the Mattei Plan for the development of the African continent.
The investors have since suggested holding a business forum for Italy and Uganda in Rome Italy to meet more Italian companies interested in investing in the country.
