During UNIDO ITPO Italy’s mission to Kampala—held from 20th to 24th July 2026 as part of the project "Strengthening the private sector through capacity building and international partnership in Uganda," funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)—the first Memorandum of Understanding for the future Business Hub was officially signed. This hub will serve as the initial component of an operational platform supporting Ugandan enterprises through capacity building, business services, technology transfer, and international partnerships.

The MoU marks a significant achievement just months after the project’s operational launch, bringing together the relevant Ugandan ministry—the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTIC)—and three of the country’s key business umbrella organizations: the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI), and the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA).

The agreement was arranged during the Business Talk "Funding the Factory Floor: Practical Tools to Access Finance for Manufacturing Growth", organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in collaboration with Bergs&More. Held on July 22 at the Four Points Hotel in Kampala, the event brought together over 80 stakeholders from the Ugandan manufacturing sector. High-level officials attended, including H.E. Mauro Massoni, Ambassador of Italy to Uganda; Teresa Savanella, Head of the AICS Office in Kampala; Deogratius Masagazi, Permanent Secretary of the MTIC; Bruno Otto, UNIDO Representative in Uganda; Dennis Ainebyona, Commissioner for Industry at the MTIC; and leaders from key Ugandan business associations—such as UMA, UNCCI, USSIA, Enterprise Uganda, and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda—alongside numerous private-sector manufacturing companies.

During the opening remarks, the Italian Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Mauro Massoni highlighted the economic relationship between Italy and Uganda and the project's potential to facilitate market access, international partnerships, technology transfer, and investment. Meanwhile, the Ugandan government—represented by the MTIC—reaffirmed the private sector's pivotal role in the country's industrial transformation and the initiative's alignment with national industrialization priorities. A technical panel on financial instruments for the manufacturing sector followed, featuring contributions from Afreximbank, SACE, CDP, and Roofings Group, and moderated by Bergs&More. Activities continued with a "Training of Trainers" session on business planning at UMA, aimed at focal points designated by PSFU, UNFFE, UNCCI, USSIA, UMA, MTIC, and Enterprise Uganda; the program concluded with a technical presentation by Marcegaglia Buildtech for Ugandan construction sector operators, organized with the involvement of local associations and businesses.