Overview of best prospect sectors, major infrastructure projects, significant government procurements and business opportunities.
Last Published: 7/21/2019

Top prospect sectors for U.S. exports to Uganda include:

  1. Oil & Gas:  Uganda has approximately 1.4 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil.  French firm Total S.A., the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and U.K.  firm Tullow hold production licenses to develop Uganda’s oil reserves for export.  In 2018, the U.S.-led Albertine Graben Refinery Consortium (AGRC) won a $3-4 billion bid to build a refinery to produce petroleum products for the domestic and EAC markets.  Additionally, the government  aims to build production facilities estimated to cost $9 billion and a $4 billion export pipeline.  Furthermore, the government  is looking to build several hundred million dollars’ worth of highway projects to the oil region, and is developing an airport in the same area.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include:  engineering, project management services, vocational training services, environmental hazard management services, and petroleum industry equipment exports. 
  2. Power:  At a national level, Uganda has one of the lowest electrification rates in Africa.  Only 22 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity, and only 10 percent in rural areas.  The government  has aggressive plans to increase these electrification rates by constructing large- and small- scale power facilities.  The 183 MW Isimba hydro power station came online in March 2019, and the 600 MW Karuma hydro power station is projected to be completed by December 2019.  USAID’s Power Africa program and its Development Credit Authority provide broad support to the Ugandan energy sector.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include:  exporting renewable energy equipment and services for on-grid, off-grid and micro-grid applications; energy transmission and distribution projects; and engineering and environmental management services. 
  3. Agriculture:  Uganda boasts fertile soils, low temperature variability, and two rainy seasons in most of the country, leading to multiple crop harvests per year.  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Uganda's fertile agricultural land has the potential to feed 200 million people – more than the current 160 million EAC population.  Agriculture accounted for 21 percent of GDP and 46 percent of export earnings in 2018, and employs over 70 percent of Uganda’s working population.  Land tenure remains problematic, however, with many Ugandan farmers lacking clear land titles, hampering them from obtaining loans.  Eighty percent of Uganda’s land is arable, but only 35 percent is cultivated.  Uganda produces a wide range of food products, including coffee, tea, sugar, livestock, edible oils, cotton, tobacco, plantains, corn, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, and groundnuts.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include: investments in value-added products eligible for AGOA benefits; sales of producing and processing equipment, irrigation systems and their components; provision of agriculture management services. 
  4. Construction:  Uganda’s infrastructure needs remain substantial.  The government is focused on building roads, especially roads to oil-producing areas.  Uganda also faces an eight million unit housing shortage according to the Uganda National Planning Authority.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include:  architecture services; construction equipment sales; project management services; and environment management services.
    Internet and Information Technologies:  Demand for internet communications technologies (ICT) is high in Uganda.  However, investors must grapple with a difficult regulatory environment, including taxes on imported internet-based services and applications.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include:  building data centers; providing data security services and internet services; and exporting telecommunications hardware, fiber optic equipment, and network hardware.
  5. Healthcare:  Uganda’s medical facilities remain underfunded and poorly managed, with the government dedicating only 7.4 percent of the 2018/2019 total budget to the health sector.  Uganda’s few public hospitals provide limited services.  To fill the gap, several local and international investors have constructed private hospitals and dental clinics to serve wealthy and middle-class Ugandans, along with expatriates.  While Uganda’s pharmaceutical industry has developed significantly over the last ten years, Uganda still imports 90 percent of its essential medicines and health supplies.  Leading opportunities for U.S. investors include:  provision of pharmaceutical, medical diagnostic, and treatment equipment; and investing in pharmaceutical facilities.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.