Uganda and Rwanda are stepping up efforts to expand cross-border business as Equity Group’s 2026 Uganda-Rwanda Trade and Investment Roadshow brings together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and private-sector leaders to identify new opportunities across the East African market.
More than 150 participants representing 10 nationalities are taking part in the programme, which is designed to link businesses with financing, regional markets, technology and strategic partnerships capable of supporting expansion and investment.
Uganda’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Sanjay Tanna, challenged businesses and investors to put greater emphasis on manufacturing, value addition, innovation and skills development as the country seeks to strengthen its productive capacity and accelerate economic transformation.
Tanna also urged Equity Bank to expand its support for micro, small and medium enterprises, especially those operating away from Uganda’s major cities. He called for increased financial literacy and bookkeeping support to help smaller businesses become better positioned to access financing and new markets.
According to Tanna, government is willing to collaborate with financial institutions to address obstacles affecting investors, bring down the cost of capital and create a more supportive environment for businesses to grow, employ more people and increase production.
Equity Bank Uganda Executive Director Claver Serumaga said the initiative is intended to provide businesses with more than financial services by connecting them to customers, markets, technology and partners that can help them expand across East Africa.
Serumaga said Uganda needs to increase the value generated from its products by investing in processing, technology, branding and market access instead of relying heavily on the export of raw commodities. The roadshow is therefore highlighting agriculture, mining, manufacturing, trade and the coffee value chain.
The programme includes a coffee value chain roundtable featuring industry players such as Neumann Kaffee Gruppe and Volcafe, as well as networking activities and visits to Zigoti Coffee Farm, JNL Industries and Roofings Uganda Limited. The Uganda leg ends on September 16, before delegates proceed from Entebbe to Kigali for the Rwanda phase of the roadshow
