15th April 2026, Kampala, Uganda: The East African Business Council (EABC) participated in the Invest.EastAfrica! Private Sector Roundtable held on 15th April 2026 at GOGO Electric in Kampala. Organized by GIZ Uganda, the roundtable brought together private sector leaders, policymakers, and development partners to advance investment cooperation between East Africa and Europe.
The roundtable comes at a critical moment for the region, with the East African Community’s economy estimated at over USD 305 billion and a population exceeding 300 million people, growing at an average rate of 5–6% annually. Despite this growth, intra-regional trade remains below 15%, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen regional integration through industrialized value chains.
Discussions focused on translating the momentum from the January 2026 Invest.EastAfrica! Business Forum held in Germany, which generated an investment pipeline of over EUR 500 million, into concrete, bankable partnerships across priority sectors.
Participants highlighted Uganda’s strategic position as an emerging manufacturing and logistics hub, with manufacturing contributing approximately 13–15% of GDP and continued growth in sectors such as steel, cement, and agro-processing. Large-scale projects, including developments in the oil and gas sector, are expected to unlock long-term industrial demand and create opportunities for localized supply chains.
In his remarks, Mr. Oscar Kamukama, EABC Board Director, emphasized the need for the private sector to transition from participation to leadership in driving regional value chains, noting that: “The opportunity before us is to convert growth into integrated, industrialized value chains that deliver real value for businesses across the region.”
The dialogue also identified key constraints affecting private sector competitiveness, including high cost of financing, persistent non-tariff barriers, and gaps in standards harmonization across Partner States.
The engagement further underscored strong alignment between East Africa and Germany in areas such as industrial technology, green energy, skills development, and digital transformation. Participants called for strengthened collaboration to support technology transfer, SME integration into global value chains, and the development of sustainable industrial ecosystems.
To unlock impact, EABC proposed a set of priority actions, including the establishment of blended financing mechanisms for manufacturing SMEs, accelerated removal of trade barriers, development of regional value chains in key sectors, and expanded partnerships in skills and technology transfer.
Looking ahead, EABC welcomed the planned high-level business delegation and the visit of H.E. Manfred Pentz, Hessian Minister of State, in September 2026 as a key opportunity to deepen investment linkages and advance long-term economic cooperation between East Africa and Europe.
EABC reaffirmed its commitment to working with GIZ, the European Union, and regional stakeholders to drive policy advocacy, private sector mobilization, and sustainable industrial growth across the East African Community.
