Prof Naiga urges investors to consider western Uganda

Prospecting investors should consider investing in western Uganda so as to benefit from the enormous business opportunities and partnerships that the region offers, Prof Gudula Naiga, the founder and managing director of Gudie Leisure Farm has said. 

Naiga was speaking at the launch of the Western Region Spotlight scheduled for March 4-5, 2023, at their premises in Najjera, Wakiso district. 

The Western Region Spotlight, according to Naiga, is aimed at enlightening Ugandans about investment opportunities in western Uganda and generating support for young entrepreneurs who have deployed their resources to develop the region. 

“Western Uganda hosts numerous investment opportunities, which we as the private sector should aggressively expose to potential investment partners, especially the youth. It also hosts several diverse communities with rich cultural heritages. These people are also eager to do business with the rest of the country. Regional spotlights are a unique fusion of business and cultural tourism whose purpose is to promote the exchange of best practices, facilitate investment, especially in the agribusiness and tourism industries, raise the profile of young entrepreneurs, especially those investing in agriculture, and promote cultural diversity,” she said. 

Responding to questions about why the event had been held in Kampala instead of a district in western Uganda, Naiga said the capital city is the major trade and investment connection point for the country.

“Kampala hosts representatives from different pockets of the country. It is also accessible to both local and international investors who would wish to participate in the discussion. The initiative of regional spotlights started last October with the Karamoja region spotlight. We shall be doing the same for other regions of the country. Uganda has so much untapped potential. It just needs a spotlight to be shed on the opportunities in the different regions.”

The Western Region Spotlight shall focus on districts like Hoima, Bulisa, Bundibugyo, Kabarole,  Kibaale, and Ntoroko among others. Representatives from western Uganda hope that the regional spotlight shall act as a trigger for members of the private sector in Uganda to invest in their respective communities.

Speaking to The Observer, Sylvia Nalumaga, the deputy mayor for Hoima city said, “Our region and Hoima in particular hosts several resources like oil, tourism etc. If these resources are utilized intelligently, some of our problems, like poverty, which is widespread across the country, could be solved. This in the long run would ensure that we achieve our national goals. As leaders from the region, we are open to partnerships with members of the private sector. We have an energetic youth population that needs to be involved in all money-making endeavors.”