KAMPALA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), through its Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Italy, has launched a new Business Hub aimed at strengthening private sector growth, promoting industrialization, attracting investment and connecting Ugandan businesses to global markets.
The hub was officially launched on November 5, 2026, at Serena Hotel in Kampala under a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented by UNIDO ITPO Italy.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, said the initiative aligns with Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about US$50 billion to US$500 billion by 2040 through industrialisation and value addition.
“We have moved on from aid to trade. We do not seek aid; we seek trade. Nations are built on production, trade and investment,” Tanna said, calling for partnerships that promote technology transfer, strengthen manufacturing capacity and improve access to international markets.
Italy’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Mauro Massoni, said the hub would strengthen business ties between Ugandan enterprises and Italian institutions, companies and technology providers.
He identified agribusiness, manufacturing, information and communication technology (ICT), and environmental sustainability as priority areas. He also highlighted the importance of supporting women-led enterprises and young innovators through improved access to business information and services.
“The Business Hub should become a practical instrument for identifying opportunities, building trusted partnerships and turning dialogue between our two countries into concrete economic cooperation,” Massoni said.
Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Marco Riccardo Rusconi, said the project had already supported Ugandan enterprises through business management training, regulatory compliance, access to finance and international business matchmaking.
He emphasised that the hub’s long-term success would depend on Ugandan institutions and business associations taking ownership of its operations and management.
“The Business Hub will be successful if enterprises use it, if business associations govern it together and, above all, if its services generate measurable improvements for Ugandan businesses,” Rusconi said.
UNIDO ITPO Italy Deputy Head Andrea Carapellese said hundreds of businesses had received practical support in commercial contract negotiations, environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance, business planning, branding, access to finance and preparation for international markets.
He added that about 60 Ugandan companies had been connected to global business opportunities through trade fairs and other business engagement activities.
“Businesses need practical answers to practical problems. It is not just about training; it is about finding solutions to the challenges companies face,” Carapellese said.
The Business Hub is being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Uganda Manufacturers Association, Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Uganda Small Scale Industries Association and other private sector organisations.
The initiative is expected to strengthen economic relations between Uganda and Italy while creating opportunities for technology transfer, investment, value addition, market access and job creation.
