32nd Uganda International Trade Fair set for 2–11 October in Lugogo

The 32nd Uganda International Trade Fair will run from 2 to 11 October at the UMA Showgrounds in Lugogo, Kampala, the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has said.

The 10-day fair, held under the theme “Formalising Trade to Secure Uganda’s Economic Future”, was officially launched in Kampala on Tuesday by UMA board chairman Aga Sekalala Jr.

“The 32nd Uganda International Trade Fair, with the theme ‘Formalising Trade to Secure Uganda’s Economic Future’, is more than an event. It is a powerful statement of our national ambition. It is a testament to the resilience of our manufacturers and the vast potential of our economy and country,” Mr Sekalala said.

Entry will cost Shs10,000 per person.

Regina Namuwonge, who chairs UMA’s communications, events and marketing committee and leads the organisation of the fair, said the main new feature this year would be Black Deals, a platform offering more than 4,000 verified products at discounted prices directly from manufacturers and distributors, with more products still being uploaded.

Ms Namuwonge said the products included water tanks, steel, cement and other construction materials, cosmetics, food and beverages, electronics, kitchen appliances, television sets, vehicles and machinery.

“In this trade fair, prices are going to be like nothing ever seen,” she said.

UMA executive director Dr Ezra Muhumuza Rubanda said 207 of the association’s members had so far uploaded 4,306 discounted products onto the platform, which was developed with the information technology sector as a trading system and consumer database.

He said the system was intended to ensure that the marketing and sale of Ugandan products “don’t only stop in the supermarkets”.

Ms Namuwonge said the fair would feature an education pavilion, where students will display innovations aimed at solving problems faced by manufacturers, distributors and other industries, and an agriculture pavilion covering modern farming techniques, crop processing and value addition.

She said a health camp would offer free medical check-ups, wellness consultations and blood donation, courtesy of UMA’s partners, while a financial and insurance zone would host banks and insurers.

Several government agencies will also provide services at the showgrounds, she said. The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) will handle national ID updates and birth certificate registration, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) will register businesses and companies, and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) and National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) will attend to electricity and water queries.

Ms Namuwonge said UMA had partnered with Uganda Police and several hospitals to provide security and medical services throughout the fair.

Dr Muhumuza said manufacturers would also use the fair to showcase locally made products aimed at easing transport and logistics barriers, which he described as one of the biggest challenges facing industry.

He said the government had asked industrialists to support its national strategy targeting tenfold economic growth, which identifies agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral beneficiation, and science and technology as key sectors. He said manufacturing was embedded across all of them as a catalytic sector.

“We came in to concentrate on reduction of barriers and create solutions as manufacturers. One of the big barriers that we have been having as a country is transport and logistics challenges,” Dr Muhumuza said.

He said the products on show would include refrigerated trucks designed to move fresh agricultural produce for export and to deliver raw materials to factories while keeping them fresh.

“Today, one of the flagship products that we are bringing here is to solve the transportation challenge that people in the agro-industry sector are facing,” he said.

Dr Muhumuza said manufacturers had also begun making heavy-duty trailers to carry minerals from mining areas to processing plants, arguing that without a railway system, moving minerals required large trailers.

At an earlier launch event this month, organisers said they expected more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries and at least 150,000 visitors, and projected Shs10bn in onsite sales and transactions.