Press Release
The Agreement for the project “Strengthening the Private Sector through Capacity Building and International Partnerships in Uganda” was officially signed Tuesday, the 21st of October 2025, between the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and the Representative of UNIDO Uganda. The initiative is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), with a contribution of €1.7 million, and is implemented by UNIDO ITPO.
The initiative’s primary goal is to strengthen Uganda’s local private sector through business services and entrepreneurial capacity building, leveraging international partnerships. Within the framework of the UNIDO Gender Mainstreaming Guide, the project will ensure women and men equally lead, participate in, and benefit from the project’s activities.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, the Hon. Mwebesa Francis. Among the words of his speech: “It is essential for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to be actively involved as a key stakeholder in this project, to ensure that all interventions are fully aligned with the priorities and strategies of the Government of Uganda. I look forward to seeing the next steps in supporting and strengthening the private sector, which remains a cornerstone for our country’s sustainable growth and job creation”.
The Italian Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Mauro Massoni, underlined “With the opening of the AICS office in Kampala, a new phase begins for Italian cooperation in Uganda: a path that strengthens the partnership
between our countries and decisively focuses on the development of youth and female entrepreneurship. This country has a huge potential and our duty is to help you enable this potential ”.
Mrs. Diana Battagia, Head of the UNIDO ITPO Italy says: ” This project has been design in an inclusive and foreword looking way, fully aligned with the priorities of Piano Mattei and Uganda’s National Development Agenda. We are confident that the responsibility we are taking on today, we will translate it into meaningful results for ugandan Institutions, business associations and private sector”.
The project is also fully in line with the priorities of the Ugandan Government, which is committed to promoting a structural transformation of the country through industrialization, agricultural modernization, private sector development, skills enhancement, export promotion, and improvement of services, as outlined in Uganda Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan IV (NDPIV).
