By: Dr. Amos Nzeyi,
This does not mean that we do not have challenges – but if we face them together, working together with government, we are on the point of big breakthrough.
Borrowing from our own Crown Beverages story, I therefore wish to take this opportunity to tell all my fellow Ugandans, both living here and in the diaspora, as well as my fellow businessmen in the East African region and all over the world, that there probably has never been a better time to invest in Uganda than today.
The country is on the verge of the Financial Investment Decision (FDI) in its oil and gas sector, which will unlock up to USD 15 billion into the economy over a space of about 2-3 years, unbundling a wealth of opportunities across the entire economy.
Besides oil and gas, we are a gifted country – gifted by nature with the richest and most diverse range of human, natural, cultural and historical tourism attractions that when fused with a warm tropical climate, a people full of warmth and perhaps the best food, makes for 1,000s of investment opportunities in the tourism sector.
Did you know that for example, despite occupying a quarter of Tanzania’s land area; being 2.4 times smaller than Kenya, and 9.7 times smaller than DRC, Uganda has a richer tourist resource than all of these counties? Did you know that we have 53.9% of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas, 19 species of primates and 11% of the world’s recorded species of birds or half of Africa’s bird species?
Have you thought about how to tap into the 11,000 square miles of Lake Victoria with beautiful beaches and green islands or how to leverage the fact that Uganda has 7% of the global mammal diversity or 39% of all Africa’s mammal richness? But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The good tropical climate with two rainfalls seasons, coupled with a 25% fresh water mass and fertile soils creates excellent opportunities in agriculture to feed the COMESA region’s population of over 520 million people and USD 235 billion market.
With a rich natural resource base with several unexploited mineral deposits of iron ore, phosphates, gold, zinc, petroleum, diamond, limestone, etc., and a liberalised economy that permits 100% foreign ownership of businesses as well as no strings attached on profits repatriation, Uganda is surely a good bet for your capital.
There probably has never been a better time to invest in Uganda than today!
