Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, Hon. Kyeyune, has challenged Ugandan and Nigerian businesses to turn the outcomes of the Uganda-Nigeria Business Forum and Exhibition into concrete trade, investment and business opportunities.
The two-day engagement, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Uganda High Commission in Abuja, brought together Ugandan and Nigerian businesses, government officials, partners and other stakeholders.
Kyeyune commended the organisers and participants for their contribution, while calling for the immediate implementation of the forum’s resolutions.
He said the success of the forum should not be measured by speeches and attendance, but by tangible outcomes including business deals, partnerships, investments, joint ventures, shipments of goods and services and access to new markets.
“Talking is good, but after talking, do you have something in your pocket?” Kyeyune asked.
He urged Ugandan businesses to look beyond the domestic market and use the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand production, create jobs, add value and access wider African markets.
Kyeyune also called on businesses to work closely with Uganda’s diplomatic missions by providing quality products and marketing materials to support the promotion of Ugandan commercial interests abroad.
He further urged government institutions, the private sector and diplomatic missions to take ownership of the forum’s resolutions and ensure effective follow-up, including through the Uganda-Nigeria Joint Permanent Commission.
He said the connections made during the forum should now translate into contracts, investments, partnerships, increased trade and stronger economic integration between Uganda and Nigeria.
