The first China- Uganda Industrial Capacity Exposition excites investors based in the country
The first China- Uganda Industrial Capacity Exposition has registered an applause from Chinese investors based in the country.
Forty-three enterprises from 12 different provinces in Africa participated in the expo seeking to explore investment opportunities in the country.
Edwin Cao, the director for sales and marketing at Hernergy Uganda, an investment company that deals with solar systems, said the expo has given them a first time opportunity to showcase their products and services to a larger number of Ugandans.
“This is the most valuable link to our final clients. It used to be clients visiting us, now we have a chance to showcase to them and the citizens have more choices to make,” Cao said.
Darren NI, from Shanghai Zenith Minerals Sales Co. Ltd was so grateful for the first time opportunity to showcase their products to the local market.
“This expo has helped us build connection with our clients and, it is an equal opportunity for both China and Uganda’s enterprise,” Darren said.
Clients speak out
Apostle Amos Abasa, a businessman dealing in transport said the exhibition enabled him to analyse the quality of products from China.
“From what I have seen, China has great machinery and I expect to see more in the next expo,” he said.
Abasa added that the expo shows that the relationship between Uganda and China is going to another level.
Why Uganda?
Zheng Zhuqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Uganda while speaking during opening ceremony on Tuesday 23rd, revealed that the Chinese embassy is working closely with the Ugandan government to implement eight major initiatives that China announced last year in September at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China- Africa Cooperation. The announced initiatives include industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, and green development.
Sally Su, the project manager for China- Africa Industrial Capacity Cooperation Exposition explained that this was not the first expo in Africa.
According to her, the idea of holding an exposition in Uganda was sold to them by Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI).
“We had invited UNCCI for last year’s expo in Kenya and when they realized its impact to the market and investment in Kenya, they requested us to come to Uganda,” Sally said.
She added that “it is a good platform for Chinese exhibitors to establish cooperation in the Ugandan market and we also believe that this kind of expo attracts more Chinese investors to Uganda in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture.”
This is not the last expo in Uganda, in July 2020, another expo will be held at the same venue.
According to Sally, the reception of the expo by Ugandans was positive, however, there are indicators that most of them did not get the message on time. She further disclosed that it will not be the last one to be held in Uganda.
“We shall be back here again in July 2020 and it will be an annual event,” She said.
Oliver Kigongo, president of UNCCI in his speech during the opening ceremony of the expo urged all enterprises that participated in exposition to take advantage and realize serious business interventions related to the establishment of concrete trade and investment.
