Overview:
Uganda hosted a forum in Bangkok, urging Thai investors to explore opportunities in tourism, agriculture, mining and ICT.
BANGKOK — Uganda is actively seeking partnerships with Thai investors in its key sectors of mining, agro-industrialization, tourism and Information and Communications Technology, the nation’s officials announced during a business forum here Wednesday.
The Uganda High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, accredited to Thailand, hosted “The Pearl of Africa – Uganda Business Forum & Expo 2025 – Thailand Chapter” on Nov. 26 to position Uganda as a new and promising investment destination. The event took place at the Bangkok Intercontinental.
The forum promoted economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation across the four key sectors: Tourism and Hospitality, Agro-Industrialization and Food Processing, ICT and Innovation, and Mining, Oil and Gas.
Fredrick Ngobi Gume, minister of state for trade in charge of cooperatives, stressed that the forum is designed to strengthen economic, trade, investment and tourism ties between Uganda and Asian countries.
Minister Gume specifically invited Thai investors to participate in mineral exploration, refining, value addition, renewable energy development and energy investment networks connecting Thailand and Africa.
Betty Bigombe, Uganda’s high commissioner to Malaysia and Thailand, highlighted the nation’s stability, competitive incentives and strategic location at the heart of the continent. Uganda serves as a gateway to one of Africa’s fastest-growing regions, granting access to more than 500 million consumers through the East African Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Bigombe pointed to the growing economic confidence, noting that Uganda’s bilateral trade with Thailand increased by $59 million in 2024.
Uganda also highlighted comprehensive investment incentives available to Thai investors, including free economic zones, tax exemptions, import duty waivers, profit repatriation guarantees and one-stop investor services.
Ambassador Richard Kabonero, representing Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire, remarked that the Thailand edition aims to expand economic opportunities and deepen cooperation, following successful forums in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Urasa Mongkolnavin, director general of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commended Uganda’s enthusiasm in promoting its opportunities. She noted that a familiarization trip organized by the Uganda High Commission in December 2024 has already resulted in Thai companies successfully offering tour packages to the “Pearl of Africa.”
Mongkolnavin also reported that Thailand is relaunching the Thailand-Africa Initiative, a key policy to signify renewed commitment to broader and deeper partnerships with the African continent.
The event concluded with panel discussions, business-to-business and government-to-government sessions.