The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Sanjay Tanna, has outlined Uganda’s industrial development achievements, investment opportunities, and strategic priorities as the country pursues its ambition to build a US$500 billion economy.
Addressing the media on November 4th, 2026, ahead of the National Industrialization Conference (NIC) 2026, scheduled for November 18th–20th, 2026, in Kampala, Tanna said Uganda’s economy had grown from US$3.9 billion in 1986 to US$61.9 billion in 2025, with Gross National Income per capita reaching US$1,389.
The conference, themed “Celebrating Uganda’s Industrial Growth,” will culminate in the commemoration of Africa Industrialization Day on November 20 and mark the 10th anniversary of the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC).
Tanna has revealed that exports of goods and services have increased by 204 per cent, from US$5.93 billion in 2022 to US$18.04 billion in 2026, driven by gold, coffee, cocoa, sugar, fish and manufactured products. Free Zone exports reached US$1.37 billion, while Foreign Direct Investment stood at approximately US$3.2 billion.
On industrial development, the Minister said eight of the 22 planned regional industrial parks were operational, attracting investments worth US$5.8 billion and creating more than 163,010 jobs.
He also highlighted government efforts to improve industrial financing through the Uganda Development Bank (UDB), with cumulative capital of approximately UGX1.6 trillion, and plans to capitalise UDB to UGX5 trillion within five years.
Other interventions include reducing electricity tariffs for high-energy industrial users to approximately 5.7 US cents per kilowatt-hour, improving infrastructure, promoting contract farming, modernising manufacturing technology and supporting local industries through the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) policy.
Tanna further emphasised the importance of regional and continental trade frameworks, including the EAC, COMESA and AfCFTA, which provide access to a market of approximately 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3 trillion.
He said the forthcoming conference would provide a platform to showcase Uganda’s industrial progress, attract investment and strengthen partnerships to accelerate manufacturing and economic transformation.
