The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives in partnership with the International Trade Center and with support from the European Union has launched a new project that aims at empowering Uganda’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and positioning them to take advantage of the opportunities in the global market with a focus on the European market.
The Sustainable Business for Uganda (SB4U) is a four-year UGX 33 billion project designed to ensure that Uganda’s SMEs have the policy and business environment they need to grow, compete and trade both within the continent and internationally especially in the lucrative EU market.
The project places emphasis on quality compliance and standards, bringing e-commerce within reach of more SMEs, and fostering innovations among other interventions.
Speaking during the launch of the project, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Francis Mwebesa said Uganda anticipates tangible and far-reaching outcomes from this project and among these is a strengthened policy framework and enhanced public-private capacities to boost trade competitiveness in selected sectors and valued chains.
“We expect this project to facilitate an improved investment climate that attracts and retains quality investments, and modernized trade facilitation tools that make doing business easier and more efficient. Additionally, the project will support compliance with quality standards in key export value chains and foster a more vibrant e-commerce eco-system empowering business support organizations and SMEs to thrive in the digital economy”, explained Mwebesa.
Mwebesa reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to provide strategic oversight
The Executive Director International Trade Center Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton said SB4U project will lay the ground work to develop key sectors and value chains that can support resilient economic growth and create decent jobs. She added that the project is one of the efforts that will help make sure that more Ugandan SMEs are well poised to navigate some of the new frontiers of our time – from the digital revolution to the green transition.
The Team Leader of the European Union Delegation to Uganda Ms. Sanne Willems said lengthy consultations with key public and private actors were made during the preparation of the project to ensure that it directly contributes to the strategic objectives of the Government of Uganda in the trade sector, while having the best possibility to strengthen the trade and investment profile of Uganda, and n particular, its relationship with the EU market.
The EU is one of Uganda’s key trade and investment partners. The relationship has registered substantial growth with Uganda exports to the EU nearly doubled, rising from approximately USD 505 million in 2020, to nearly USD 1.4 billion in 2024, a remarkable growth in just five years. Key exports include coffee, fish, cut flowers, and cocoa beans, while Uganda’s EU sourced imports comprise mainly machinery, pharmaceuticals and industrial goods.
