The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now Uganda’s biggest trade partner globally, signaling rapidly growing bilateral relations between the two nations.
UAE has surpassed Uganda’s traditional trading partners such as Kenya, Tanzania, and South Sudan since September 2024.
According to Uganda Ambassador to UAE Zaake Kibedi, the total trade portfolio between the two countries reached $3.5 billion in 2024, up from $600 million in 2018.
In his remarks at the UAE, Uganda Business Forum in Kampala Kibedi said bilateral relations are growing stronger every year.
According to Kibedi, Uganda’s exports to the UAE are heavily concentrated in high-value goods, 50% of which are precious metals led by gold, while 40% comprise agricultural products, led by coffee. The remaining 10% includes petrochemicals. Other significant agricultural exports include tea, honey, vegetables, and fruits—notably sweet bananas and pineapples, often hailed as “the sweetest in all of Africa”.
Over the last decade, the UAE’s investments in African countries has increased, especially in areas of infrastructure development.
In Uganda, the UAE’s investment has surged. “It’s the first time that the UAE is among the top three investors in Uganda,” Kibedi says. The value of UAE investments has increased more than 10-fold since 2018, reaching $3.5 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile Diplomatic engagement between the two nations has further intensified.
President Yoweri Museveni visited the UAE four times in the past four years, while, during UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Kampala in May 2025, six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in areas such as infrastructure, capacity building, and diplomatic cooperation.
Uganda’s Embassy bas been operational in Abu Dhabi since 2009, with a Consulate added in Dubai in 2022. The UAE is now home to at least 100 registered Ugandan businesses and a diaspora of about 160,000 Ugandan nationals.