The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), represented by the Sharjah Export Development Center (SEDC), concluded its business mission to Uganda and Kenya, heading a delegation that included private sector representatives and a host of prominent manufacturers in Sharjah and the UAE.

The six-day mission was a hit for the SCCI as it helped explore new areas of commercial and industrial cooperation with Kenya and Uganda in such many vital domains as energy solutions, technology, food security, iron and steel, and agriculture, as well as exploring new opportunities for available investments, in addition to introducing the abundant economic advantages of Sharjah, promoting the facilities granted by the emirate to foreign investors, promoting the ‘Made in UAE’ tag, and providing the SCCI’s associates with the chance to discover new and promising markets, as well as promoting the emirate’s exports.

The first leg of the trade tour, which was in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, witnessed a Sharjah-Kenya business meeting, during which Abdallah Sultan Al Owais underlined the fact that the business tour led by the SCCI is in line with the UAE strategy to reach out to more and more international trade partners, and open up more to all friendly countries across the world in order to facilitate the growth of businesses. He pointed out that the Republic of Kenya is the UAE’s sixth trading partner in non-Arab Africa, and that the volume of non-oil trade in 2021 amounted to about $2.2 billion (Dhs8.2 billion), which translates into a growth of 20% compared to 2020. Al-Owais spotlighted the bilateral agreements and the upcoming comprehensive economic partnership agreement, which is the first of its kind between a GCC country and an African nation.

Richard Ngatia, President of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, and Industry (KNCCI) called on Kenyan businessmen and investors to further ties and build partnerships with the Emirati business community, and benefit from the efforts of the official authorities in Kenya and the UAE to take the bilateral relations to broader horizons.

The trade tour’s second stop was in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and witnessed a business meeting between Sharjah and Uganda, which highlighted the investment opportunities on both sides, as well as introducing the exceptional advantages that the Emirate of Sharjah possesses as relates to economy, tourism and infrastructure in terms of its free zones, airports, or advanced and qualified logistics and strategic location, not to mention the emirate’s investment-stimulating legislations and other attractive incentives that contribute to the flow of investments to the region’s markets.

Al Owais pointed out at the meet that the UAE is a major trading partner for Uganda, serving as a linkage between the African nation and the Middle East and an important hub for Ugandan exports to the Americas, Europe, Asia, China and Japan. He also underscored Uganda’s role as a major gateway for the UAE exports to Africa’s Great Lakes region, nothing that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries increased from $1.8 billion to $3.8 billion in 2021.

Jessica Alupo, Ugandan Vice President, said that the mission is a key station for (the UAE) businessmen in various economic sectors to learn more about the investment opportunities in Uganda and establish fruitful investment partnerships with their Ugandan counterparts, noting that her government is keen to facilitate investments for the Emirati investors and overcome all the challenges they face.

Last month, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) held the “UAE-Uganda Business Forum” in honour of a high-level Ugandan delegation, which was visiting the Emirate of Sharjah.

The sides talked about ways to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Attending the forum were Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, SCCI Chairman, Zaake Wanume Kibedi, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to the UAE, and a number of SCCI officials and representatives from the Emirati and Ugandan business communities. Al Owais noted that the UAE and the Emirate of Sharjah are among Uganda’s most prominent strategic allies, adding that UAE-Uganda relations continue to grow in many sectors thanks to the support of the governments of both nations. He also noted that trade exchange between the two nations increased by 500 per cent to reach US$2 billion by 2022.

Ambassador Kibedi extended the greetings of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to the UAE government and people. The Ugandan Ambassador spoke highly of the close ties that the UAE and Uganda share, as well as the burgeoning economic collaboration between the two nations.

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has hosted recently the third leg of the Brazilian Coffee Week 2022, which is being organised by the Embassy of Brazil in the UAE in collaboration with the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in all the emirates of the State.

The event comes as part of both sides’ efforts to boost trade opportunities and increase exports of coffee products from Brazil to the UAE, in addition to exploring more areas of partnership and investment between the two friendly countries.