Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took a major step in strengthening their partnership as they signed six new agreements during a high-profile visit by UAE’s top diplomat. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of UAE, met with President Yoweri Museveni at State House Entebbe, where both leaders expressed strong commitment to deepening cooperation between their nations.

The one-day official visit marked a significant moment in Uganda-UAE relations, with President Museveni warmly welcoming his guest and recalling the long history of friendship between Uganda and Arab nations. “Our work with Arab countries is not new,” Museveni said, tracing back Uganda’s ties to North African countries like Egypt, Algeria and Libya during Uganda’s independence struggle. He particularly noted how his 2014 visit to UAE revealed enormous potential for collaboration that both countries are now beginning to realize.

During their discussions, President Museveni highlighted key areas where UAE investors could find lucrative opportunities in Uganda, including manufacturing, agro-processing, minerals, infrastructure development, tourism and defense. He specifically pointed to road toll projects as another promising sector that could connect Uganda to larger regional markets. “If UAE companies invest here, both our countries will benefit greatly,” Museveni emphasized, underlining the natural economic complementarity between the two nations.

Sheikh Abdullah brought warm greetings from UAE’s leadership and reaffirmed his country’s eagerness to expand trade and development cooperation with Uganda. He spoke of building partnerships that would drive sustainable growth and shared prosperity, setting the stage for the signing ceremony that followed.

The six agreements signed cover a wide range of strategic areas:

1) Works and Transport – Paving the way for joint infrastructure projects and transport sector development

2) Diplomatic Training – Enhancing skills and capacity for Uganda’s foreign service officers

3) Visa Exemption – Making travel easier for officials and potentially boosting tourism and business exchanges

4) Joint Development – Creating a framework for cooperative projects in various economic sectors

5) E-Government – Supporting Uganda’s digital transformation through technology transfer and expertise

6) Investment Protection – Providing safeguards to encourage more UAE investments in Uganda

The e-government agreement stands out as particularly significant as Uganda pushes to digitize public services. UAE, being a global leader in digital governance, can offer valuable expertise to help Uganda modernize its systems. Similarly, the investment protection deal is expected to give UAE businesses more confidence to put money into Uganda’s growing economy.

President Museveni’s mention of road toll investments suggests Uganda may be looking to UAE’s experience in building modern highway networks. UAE companies could play a major role in developing Uganda’s transport infrastructure, especially as the country prepares to become an oil producer needing efficient routes to ports.

The visa exemption agreement, while initially covering diplomatic passport holders, could eventually ease travel for ordinary citizens too. This would benefit Uganda’s tourism sector, which sees many visitors from the Middle East, while making it simpler for Ugandan businesspeople to explore opportunities in UAE.

Sheikh Abdullah’s visit comes at a time when UAE is expanding its economic footprint in Africa. For Uganda, stronger ties with the wealthy Gulf nation could mean more foreign direct investment, technology transfer, and access to UAE’s vast market of nearly 10 million people.

As the agreements move from signing to implementation, both countries will be watching closely to ensure these commitments translate into tangible benefits. If successful, this new phase of Uganda-UAE cooperation could significantly boost Uganda’s economic modernization efforts while giving UAE reliable access to East Africa’s markets and resources.

The Entebbe meeting has set a promising foundation, but the real work begins now as officials from both nations start putting these agreements into practice. With political will on both sides and clear mutual interests, this partnership could become a model for South-South cooperation in the years ahead.