Kasolo Challenges Uganda, Nigeria to Turn Business Forum Talks Into Deals

ABUJA, Nigeria — Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune, has challenged government institutions, diplomatic missions and the private sector to move quickly from discussions at the Uganda–Nigeria Business Forum & Exhibition to actual trade deals, investments and business partnerships.

Kyeyune said the success of the two-day engagement should not be judged by the number of speeches delivered or delegates who attended, but by the business outcomes generated after the forum.

He called for the immediate implementation of the forum’s resolutions, urging government agencies and businesses to translate the connections and discussions into concrete opportunities.

“The success of the two-day engagement should be measured not by speeches or participation, but by business deals, partnerships, investments, joint ventures, shipments of goods and services, and new market opportunities,” Kyeyune said.

Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune

He put the challenge more bluntly: “Talking is good, but after talking, do you have something in your pocket?”

The minister commended Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Uganda High Commission in Abuja for organising the forum and thanked Ugandan and Nigerian delegates, partners and other stakeholders for participating in the two-day engagement.

Kyeyune also urged Ugandan businesses to think beyond the domestic market and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand production, create jobs, add value to products and services and access markets across Africa.

Ambassador Richard Kabonero, the head Regional Economic Cooperation at MOFA

He said Uganda’s diplomatic missions should be treated as important partners in expanding the country’s commercial interests abroad.

Businesses, he added, should work closely with diplomatic missions by providing quality products, relevant marketing materials and information that can help missions promote Ugandan goods and services in foreign markets.

Kyeyune further called on government institutions, the private sector and diplomatic missions to take ownership of the forum’s resolutions and establish effective follow-up mechanisms.

He said the Uganda–Nigeria Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) should provide an important framework for monitoring progress and ensuring that commitments made during the forum do not remain on paper.

The minister urged participants to turn the relationships established during the engagement into contracts, investments, joint ventures, increased shipments of goods and services and stronger business partnerships.

The call comes as Uganda and Nigeria seek to deepen economic ties and expand commercial cooperation between their private sectors.

Earlier during the forum, Ugandan and Nigerian officials highlighted opportunities in areas including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, research, creative industries, trade and investment, while business leaders called for improved market access and stronger business-to-business linkages.

For Kyeyune, however, the next test is implementation.

The minister said the ultimate measure of the forum would be whether the relationships established between Ugandan and Nigerian businesses produce actual transactions, investment and greater economic integration between the two countries.