The Lord has opened 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.-𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟓𝟎:𝟐𝟓 𝐍𝐈𝐕
#ProphetElvisMbonye
We concluded the four-day First Impression Ambassadors Training for airport officials on Tuesday afternoon, with 853 participants from Customs, Immigration, and Aviation Security, commiting to delivering a positive, safe, friendly, and professional experience for every traveler.
This initiative is grounded in a simple truth: Uganda’s image begins at first contact.
“The impression you make will make or break Uganda. Every interaction is an opportunity to build trust and confidence in our country.” ~@matthewbagonza.
Brig. Gen. Kisami Mike, @UgandaCAA Manager Aviation Security, emphasized implementation: “We must translate these lessons into better service, stronger teamwork, and clearer communication.”
This is not just training, it is a step toward strengthening Uganda’s global image and competitiveness in tourism and trade.
For years, travelling within Africa made no sense.
You would leave Uganda…
fly past it…
land somewhere else…
Then come back.
Today, that has changed.
Lagos to Entebbe is now simple.
But here is the challenge..:
We celebrate the system… and forget to use it.
Flights must carry people.
Routes must carry goods.
Connections must create business.
Imagine Ugandan products in a Lagos restaurant.
Not as a story… but as a normal thing.
That is how barriers truly break.
Uganda cannot compete in a world where other countries send their companies into Africa backed by cheap money, strategic planning, and long-term industrial support.
If we are serious about protecting our national interest, then we must build our own response through affordable financing, value addition, mentorship, and fresh thinking.
Africa is rich in minerals, talent, and opportunity, but without strategy, consensus, and intellectual discipline, we will continue to export value and import weakness. The future will not wait for us. It is being shaped now.
From early 2023, PACEID worked with the Arise and SPIRO electric bike entities. This is to drive assembly, manufacturing and agrivalue addition on some of the export products under our 13 clusters that we began with. It often feels like a painful compromise to cut taxes we so badly need now in order to get long-term manufacturing and assembly capabilities the country will surely need tomorrow to guarantee the future stability of Uganda. Seeing today many young Ugandans manning the assembly line and the possibility of reducing import exposure on iron and steel parts (bike frames that can be fabricated in the country), plastic casings, rubber and electric cable parts - all made me joyful.
We will make it.
China began in 1988 with only 20% assembly gains in electric equipment in Shenzhen, but by 2007, Apple of the USA had outsourced almost 90% of its manufacturing to this city alone, and by 2014, more than a million employees were under one entity there. The picture vastly changed when electronic manufacturing brought in the production of drones, switching gears for telecoms, electric vehicles, etc. It all started with one risk - can you give up something now for a better tomorrow?
I thank HE the President for supporting this effort, Mr Gagan, the entrepreneur behind these entities and Ms. Rachelle Yayi for her untiring efforts to make this work in our country
If Uganda gets this right, we do not just build bikes. We build frames, plastics, tyres, battery casings, electrical parts, and the technical human capital to support them. That is how jobs grow.
That is how local industry deepens. That is how a country moves from consumption to production.
They Buy Our Coffee Cheap. They Sell It for Billions.
In 2021, Italy bought $178M of Uganda’s coffee as raw beans.
They processed it and made billions.
Two companies, Illy and Lavazza, earn over $52B yearly from coffee.
The problem isn’t markets.
It’s value addition.
#CoffeeEconomy #ValueAddition #UgandaCoffee
"Growth is rarely blocked by a lack of ideas.
It is blocked by our attachment to what once worked.
Innovation demands courage not just to create, but to let go, to iterate, and to move revenue, customers, and operations into the realities of today. Businesses that win are those that continuously re-examine value, cost, technology, and people, before the market forces them to.
The future does not wait for comfort. It rewards clarity, discipline, and the willingness to evolve."
#ORSeries
The Uganda Connect International Buyers Week officially begins with a Meet & Greet Cocktail, bringing together international buyers, sponsors and trade representatives for an evening of networking and orientation.
An opportunity to:
🔹Share expectations, program flow, and key objectives for the next three days
🔹Showcase Uganda’s hospitality and export ambition.
#UgandaConnect #MeetConnectTrade
The Buyers Week introduces a new feature: Uganda Connect Marketplace, a curated, open-access showroom of Uganda’s export-ready brands.
Visitors will experience:
🔹Live product demonstrations
🔹Buyer sampling sessions
🔹Packaging & branding showcases
🔹Pitch sessions for exporters
A modern way to display a modern Uganda.
#UgandaConnect #BuyersWeek #MeetConnectTrade
I’m encouraged that this Buyers Week brings together people who understand what global markets demand. No level of good production can compensate for weak standards. That is why we are setting up a Food Safety Ombudsman to coordinate every agency involved in testing and inspecting fertilizers, chemicals, disinfectants, animal feed, plant health, soils, and food handling. When our exporters meet these requirements, they avoid non-tariff barriers and build real trust with buyers.
I sincerely thank Her Excellency, the Vice President @jessica_alupo, for joining us today and for representing H.E. the President. Her presence signals the seriousness with which the government takes standards, food safety, and the wider export agenda. She walked through the exhibition, asked detailed questions, and engaged producers directly, exactly the kind of leadership that pushes our institutions to match the discipline global markets expect.
"Our standards are not paperwork. They are our passport to markets".
With @GovUganda and the private sector working side by side, we can raise the bar for Uganda’s exports.
#UgandaConnect #MeetConnectTrade #InternationalBuyersWeek
H.E. @KagutaMuseveni's message at the Uganda Connect International Buyers Week delivered by VP @jessica_alupo.
"The agenda of the NRM government is to ensure that Uganda attains accelerated growth, from the current GDP of $61 billion to $500 billion, in the shortest possible time. We have been able to create a conducive investment environment, in Uganda, by ensuring peace and stability, across the country."
#UgandaConnect
#MeetComnectTrade
To see Archbishop Cardinal Wamala receiving a certificate of recognition and commendation from HE President @KagutaMuseveni, for the former’s great service to the faithful, makes our hearts warm with gratitude as we celebrate 63 years of independence.
Even more touching is that this was delivered to him by young people at @paceidug through our mentorship program that recognizes the work of the older generation. To keep talking to, searching out, and thanking our elders is to keep the bridge to the future firmly constructed.
Makerere University Entrepreneurship & Outreach centre is a good model for building a bridge to jobs for young people, even as they study. It is a good tradition, now new to this university (not available in my time at university, yet very common in the West as a pillar of economy, research, and product development), to support startups of entrepreneurs who navigate their world with confidence, given that their creativity and innovation are put to work early.
I was pleased to officiate the opening of their 2025 Entrepreneurship Congress and youth expo.
Dr. Sarah Bimbona, who reached out to us online, Prof. Godfrey Akileng, Dean of the Business School, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sarah N. Ssali, and all the academic and support staff, have done a great job in opening a link with us on exports and enterprise.
We will support and work with them
"Often described as bold and fearless, she was born in 1953, in Kashaari, Mbarara district.
She is a pioneer on many fronts: lawyer, politician, gender equality advocate, and a respected senior citizen. She has dedicated her life to fighting for gender equality, a cause she embraced since early childhood. With a Bachelor's of Law degree from Makerere University and a Master's of Law from the University of Warwick in England, she also holds an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Victoria, Canada, in recognition of her lifelong dedication to women's empowerment and the fight for justice, equality, and fairness for all. As Minister of Ethics and Integrity, she spearheaded initiatives to build ethical standards and combat corruption in Uganda’s public service. Her contribution to the Constituent Assembly in Uganda played a crucial role in shaping the 1995 constitution, with every clause concerning women benefiting from her attention and input.
Her name is Dr. Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe, and she is 72 years old this year. Dr. Matembe teaches young people the art of dedication to something higher than self, even if one is disagreeable, and being open about our strengths and weaknesses as we serve others."
President @KagutaMuseveni urges young Ugandans to embrace mentorship and appreciate the wisdom of elders, saying society can only progress when generations work together.
“Do not say that everything old must go away, you would be making a very big mistake. But even the old ones must accept that some things must change to be rational. You must accurately identify the factors that must continue and those that must be abandoned.”
Today at State House Entebbe, H.E. @KagutaMuseveni hosted the National Mentorship Day Awards. "I congratulate the awardees for their great work in building Uganda, from health workers, entrepreneurs & industrialists to lawyers& intellectuals. This is exactly what we fought for."
“Resilience. Rootedness. Work ethic.”
At 71, Dr. Peter Ngategize continues to inspire—building a high-altitude training center, driving fruit & vegetable exports, and preserving culture through his new books Obidience & Emigano.
On @cnbcafrica Power Lunch this afternoon, our Chairman @Odrek_Rwabwogo highlighted Uganda's unique position to become the go-to supplier of Robusta coffee after the U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian coffee.
He also outlined Uganda’s Coffee Roadmap, which sets a target of exporting 20 million bags by 2030 and generating $1.2 billion in annual export revenues.
He emphasized that this growth is achievable through increased production, value addition, and stronger trade partnerships.