Entrepreneurs in Uganda have been challenged to broaden their horizons and look beyond domestic and regional markets if they hope to achieve sustainable growth over the next two decades.
The message came on Monday, September 29, during a training session organised by Enterprise Uganda in Kampala, which brought together a mix of business owners, exporters, and sector leaders.
Mr Charles Ocici, the Director General of Enterprise Uganda, outlined the country’s ambitious ’10-fold growth strategy,’ emphasising the need for Ugandan businesses to target continental and global markets.
‘As a country, we have come up with a 10-fold growth strategy. This 10-fold growth strategy will not work out if you are looking at the domestic market,’ Ocici told participants.
‘The timeline for this growth is within the next 15 to 20 years. This cannot happen when we focus just within Uganda or even within the smaller East African region. We have the ability to sell what we have been selling on a modest scale on a much bigger scale, within Africa and beyond,’ he added.
Ocici pointed to examples such as Singapore and Senegal, which leveraged their limited resources to make a global impact, urging Ugandan businesses to identify unique advantages and expand them internationally.
Ms Prisca Beesigomwe, the Acting Executive Director of the HortiFresh Association, a body representing Uganda’s fresh fruits and vegetables sector, said smaller players can also participate in export markets by integrating into established value chains.
‘Many people think the export market is only for established brands,’ Ms Beesigomwe explained.
‘But smaller players can latch themselves into the value chains of the export market. Even a coffee producer in Masaka can be part of the export market if they connect to the market value chain. Size doesn’t matter; what matters is your role in the chain,’ she added.
Ms Beesigomwe highlighted regional markets such as Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan as accessible starting points before targeting stringent markets in the Middle East and Europe.
Mr Apollo Ssegawa, the Managing Director of CURAD (Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development), emphasised that successful exports begin with understanding market demand.
‘A Ugandan exporter can maximize the current demand by knowing what the market wants. You must always start with the market. What standards are expected there? What products do they want? Then work backwards to deliver exactly that,’ Ssegawa said.
He noted that exporters often make the mistake of producing what they grow best locally rather than what international buyers demand, resulting in low returns. Ssegawa advised compliance with global standards such as GlobalGAP and obtaining Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) certification.
‘For export markets, first, develop a good product suitable for the local market. Then, package it professionally, brand it, get UNBS certification, and only then look to regional and international markets,’ he said.
Mr Ssegawa also warned against over-promising to buyers, particularly for seasonal products. ‘You cannot promise an export market 100 tonnes when you know your capacity is only 10 tonnes. Manage your production capacity and sign contracts that match your available supply.’
The training highlighted the critical need for Ugandan entrepreneurs to professionalise production, adopt global standards, and carefully plan supply chains to avoid under-delivery while capitalising on expanding regional and international opportunities.
Mr Ocici concluded with a call to action: ‘If we leverage our advantages and sell on a bigger scale beyond our borders, we can transform Uganda’s economy, just as smaller countries have done. The opportunity is here; it is up to us to take it.’
The session formed part of Enterprise Uganda’s broader agenda to equip local entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks, and tools to compete in regional and global markets, supporting the country’s long-term growth ambitions.