Role of business community in advancing Uganda’s national growth agenda

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OPINION

By Irene Birungi Mugisha

The inaugural Kampala Business Forum, held on December 14, 2025 at the Serena Kampala Hotel, marked a defi ning moment in Uganda’s economic policy landscape. Bringing together over 1,000 chief executives, business leaders, policymakers and government institutions, the Forum underscored the growing importance of a co-ordinated and unifi ed private sector voice in shaping the country’s development trajectory.

Organised by the Presidential CEO Forum (PCF) in partnership with the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), and the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), the forum provided a structured platform for dialogue between government and the private sector.

More importantly, it demonstrated how collective engagement by the business community can infl uence national priorities and accelerate economic transformation.

At the heart of the discussions was Uganda’s ambitious Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, aligned with Uganda Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV). The forum positioned the private sector not merely as a participant in economic growth, but as a central driver capable of translating macroeconomic stability into investment, productivity and job creation.

The presence of President Yoweri Museveni as the chief guest elevated the forum into a high-level policy engagement. His remarks reinforced a critical message: that peace, stability and national cohesion are not only political achievements, but also fundamental economic assets.

For the business community, these conditions form the foundation upon which long-term investments and industrial expansion can thrive. However, beyond recognition, the Forum provided something more powerful — alignment. Through coordinated participation from associations such as the Federation of Uganda Traders Associations (FUTA), Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), Federation of Uganda Social Enterprises (FUSE) and the National Enterprise Development Trust (NETA), the private sector spoke with increasing coherence on the issues that matter most. This unified voice brought clarity to key structural constraints facing businesses.

Concerns around regulatory fragmentation, cumulative taxation, delayed government payments and limited access to strategic industrial inputs were consistently raised across sectors. These are not isolated challenges, they are systemic barriers that require equally co-ordinated solutions.

Equally important was the shift towards evidence-based dialogue. Data presented during the forum highlighted Uganda’s significant progress over the past four decades, including reduced inflation, improved life expectancy and growth in manufacturing contribution to the economy.

These gains provide a strong foundation, but they also signal the need for the next phase of growth, one driven by productivity, value addition and export competitiveness. Sector specific insights further reinforced the power of a collective business voice. In coffee, stakeholders pointed to rising production and export earnings while calling for greater domestic value addition. Manufacturing leaders emphasised the role of affordable energy in strengthening competitiveness, while tourism players highlighted the importance of safeguarding Uganda’s international image to sustain growth in the sector. Taken together, these perspectives reflect a maturing private sector, one that is not only identifying challenges, but also proposing practical, sector driven solutions aligned with national priorities.

The forum concluded with a consolidated policy agenda shaped by this unified voice. Key recommendations included maintaining policy predictability, harmonising taxes, improving government payment systems and reforming procurement processes to enable greater participation of domestic fi rms. There was also strong emphasis on sustaining infrastructure investments and rationalising energy costs to support industrial growth.

Crucially, the forum moved beyond dialogue to action. The Presidential CEO Forum committed to institutionalising the engagement as an annual platform, supported by sector working groups and a time-bound reform tracker to ensure accountability and implementation. This marks a significant evolution in Uganda’s economic governance from fragmented engagement to co-ordinated action, and from policy discussion to deliveryfocused reform.

The central lesson from the Kampala Business Forum is clear: when the business community speaks as one, it becomes a powerful force for national transformation. A unified private sector not only amplifies its influence, but also enhances its ability to partner effectively with government in shaping policy, driving investment and creating jobs.

As Uganda looks towards achieving Ten-Fold Growth by 2040, the role of the business community will be increasingly defined, not just by participation, but by leadership. In this journey, unity of voice will be as critical as strength of vision.

The writer is the CEO Presidential CEO Forum