Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, has officially opened the first Uganda–Italy Business and Investment Forum in Rome, Italy, calling on Italian companies to invest in coffee processing and the value addition of other agricultural products in Uganda.
The two-day forum, running from 13 to 14 October 2026 under the theme “Unlocking Shared Prosperity,” aims to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries, with a focus on agribusiness, energy and pharmaceuticals.
Leading the Ugandan delegation, Nabbanja said the forum’s success should be measured by the business agreements secured, companies established in Uganda and employment opportunities created, rather than by the speeches delivered.
“Let us measure its success not by the speeches I am making here… but by the agreements we sign, the companies that will open in Uganda and the younger Ugandan population who will find jobs,” she said.
Nabbanja noted that Italy is one of the major buyers of Ugandan coffee and called for a shift from exporting raw coffee beans to establishing processing facilities and value-addition partnerships within Uganda.
“We want our people from Italy to take coffee made in Uganda, not grown in Uganda,” she said.
She urged the Italian Government to consider Uganda a priority country under the Mattei Plan, Italy’s strategic initiative for engagement with African countries. She also called on Italy’s state-backed financial institutions—the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), SACE and SIMEST—to support Italian businesses seeking to invest in Uganda.
Nabbanja assured prospective investors that her office would work to address any challenges they encounter while doing business in Uganda.
Dr Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director-General for the Promotion of Italy and Economic Internationalisation at Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Italy was interested in establishing joint ventures in Uganda rather than focusing solely on exports.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Italy, Elizabeth Paula Napeyok, called for the two countries to deepen their relationship beyond diplomatic engagement by expanding trade and investment cooperation.
The forum follows Nabbanja’s visit to Rome in early 2024, when she and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, underscored the need to organise a business forum to attract Italian investors to Uganda.
The two-day event is organised by the Embassy of Uganda in Rome in partnership with Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo, UNIDO ITPO Italy and Bergs & More.
It seeks to identify investment opportunities, promote business partnerships and strengthen economic cooperation between Uganda and Italy.