Over 500 businesspeople from the East African region are set to gather in Uganda for three days for the International Business and Investment Summit.

The event, a partnership between the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) and the African CEO Magazine, a pan-African media and events production company based in New York, USA takes place later in May this year. 

The summit is targeting entrepreneurs, bankers, development finance institutions, political leaders, academia, UN and other international organizations, NGOs, and donors, to discuss regional and international business opportunities and the private sector finance ecosystem.  

“Inspiring Ugandan entrepreneurs with African regional, global business models, and success stories is one of the key expected outcomes of the summit,” says Caroline Jackson, executive vice president of the African CEO Media Corporation. 

According to the organisers, it is in response to the need to tackle the lagging effects of COVID-19, a pandemic that saw Uganda maintain some of the world’s longest lockdowns on business activities.

Several emerging issues have posed severe challenges to Ugandan businesses and the business finance ecosystem, hence, overcoming these challenges by providing new opportunities for businesses “is fundamental to expanding and positioning Ugandan companies, impacting investors and policymakers for future progress and growth that leaves no one behind,” says the concept note.  

According to the organisers, the summit aims to help Ugandan businesses and impact investors to access regional and international markets, mobilize diverse financial resources, benefit from regional and international networks, and increase their ability to scale up.

It is also aimed to act as a platform for national and international leaders from the finance ecosystem, and public and private sectors to advocate inclusive policies and strategies required to support Ugandan businesses and investors.  

“The summit aims to enhance partnerships and expand opportunities and new investments across Uganda and the East Africa region by engaging private sector investors and connecting them with policymakers and other stakeholders to foster investor-friendly policies and a conducive business climate,” says event coordinator and executive director Lydia Thomas African CEO Media Corporation.

Other objectives of the summit are providing networking and clustering opportunities and fostering strategic alliances; and delivering the targeted capacity building to investors, business enablers, and companies.

“Engaging Uganda stakeholders in developing improved business policy frameworks that promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and build resilient infrastructures to nurture Ugandan businesses and return on investments for investors, are among our expected outcomes,” says Jackson.