Uganda sets stage for National Trade Review Conference 2026

February 23, 2026 in Business, Trade & Industry by Editor

Uganda will on March 4–5 host a high-level National Trade Review Conference aimed at aligning trade policy with the country’s ambitious target of expanding its economy from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040.

 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has opened registration for the Uganda National Trade Review Conference (TRC) 2026, a high-level policy forum scheduled for March 4–5 at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

Held under the theme “Trade-Driven Transformation: Propelling Uganda to a USD500B Economy by 2040,” the conference is positioned as a strategic national platform to align Uganda’s trade architecture with its ambition to expand the economy tenfold—from approximately USD50 billion to USD500 billion within the next 15 years.

The two-day gathering is expected to bring together between 250 and 350 participants, including government ministries, departments and agencies, private sector leaders, MSMEs, cooperatives, civil society organisations, academia, development partners, regional trade bodies and the media.

According to the Ministry, the conference will serve as a comprehensive stock-take of Uganda’s trade performance and readiness to leverage the Tenfold Growth Strategy, anchored on the ATMS model—Agro-industrialisation, Tourism Development, Mineral Development, and Science, Technology and Innovation.

The forum is designed as an evidence-based, multi-stakeholder dialogue intended to produce actionable policy and strategy recommendations. A key outcome will be a time-bound national communiqué and implementation matrix to guide follow-up actions.

Among the major highlights will be the launch of several policy instruments, including a revised National Trade Policy, the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), the National Trade Policy Development and Implementation Plan, and an Online Reporting Platform.

These frameworks are expected to guide regulatory reforms, strengthen export promotion, enhance services trade competitiveness, support minerals-based industrialisation, scale agro-industrial value chains, and expand cooperative-led trade. They will also reinforce trade order, quality and standardisation across sectors.

The conference is supported by UK International Development and TradeMark Africa, signalling strong development partner backing for Uganda’s trade reform agenda.

TradeMark Africa’s Country Director, Anna Nambooze, described the event as a timely opportunity to unveil updated trade policy frameworks nearly two decades after the current Trade Policy was adopted.

She said the organisation’s support reflects its commitment to practical reforms that reduce the cost of doing business, improve border efficiency, strengthen standards and sanitary and phytosanitary compliance, and enhance value-chain competitiveness—while promoting the inclusion of women and youth in trade.

By strengthening coordination across trade institutions and stakeholders, the conference is expected to accelerate reform implementation and position trade as a central driver of Uganda’s Tenfold Growth ambition.

The Ministry has called on businesses across manufacturing, agro-processing, ICT and digital trade, logistics, financial services, minerals, high-value manufacturing, cooperative enterprises and services sectors to register for participation.

In addition to attendance registration, exhibitor registration has also opened. The exhibition segment is being pitched as a strategic opportunity for enterprises to showcase innovations, forge partnerships, engage policymakers and position themselves within Uganda’s evolving trade and industrial policy landscape.

With trade increasingly viewed as the engine for export growth, value addition and structural transformation, the National Trade Review Conference 2026 is expected to sharpen policy coherence, deepen stakeholder coordination and accelerate implementation of reforms aimed at driving inclusive economic development.