Uganda in a seven day aggressive investment and market campaign in Türkiye

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Ankara

In a bid to attract Foreign Direct Investment, science and technology transfer, plus promotion of trade and tourism, the Uganda Embassy in Ankara has taken Türkiye by storm with a series of Tourism Roadshows and Business forums.

The campaign started last week is running from June 13-20, 2025, in some of the largest and strategic cities in Türkiye, including Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, Konya, and Gaziantep.

Organised in line with the Mission’s Economic and Commercial Diplomacy mandate, the Embassy in Ankara has identified cities which share many areas of complementarity and or industrial advantages.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aim is to establish a framework of collaboration that would enhance friendly exchanges and jointly promote mutually beneficial cooperation. 

A release from MoFA states that with teams led by Uganda's Ambassador, Nusura Tiperu and Counsellor Nelson Kasigaire, backed by the Uganda Investment Authority, Uganda National Bureau of Standards, the Uganda Tourism Board and the Uganda Broadcasting Cooperation, Uganda has garnered the attention of the Turkish Business Community.

Tiperu addressing guests at the Gala dinner. (Courtesy)

(Courtesy)

Tiperu with interacting with guests at the Gala Dinner. (Courtesy)

The campaign has yielded several engagements with Turkish companies and investment and business opportunities for Uganda. 

At different engagements in Mersin and Bursa, Counsellor Kasigaire explained that the Embassy has forged a strategic partnership with Mr Dilek Dere, Regional President of the Turkey Travel Agencies Association, the largest and oldest tourism organisation in Türkiye, with over 15,000 members.

The aggressive marketing campaign, Kasigaire said, will increase awareness of the tourism offerings, investment opportunities and incentive regime in Uganda, leading to joint ventures or partnerships formed for promoting bilateral trade.

Kasigaire expressed confidence that the Tour companies and businesses from both sides could find common ground, make an effort to design tour packages tailored to the Turkish travellers and market them to potential clients.

“The purpose of this roadshow is to provide information about Uganda's tourism offerings and explore prospects for cooperation with Tourism operators in Türkiye involved in the outbound tourism market. Under the brand, 'Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa', we seek to showcase our tourism products and services that make Uganda an ideal travel destination,” said Kasigaire.

“This will be followed by Familiarization trips and exploratory Missions to Uganda for immersive experiences.” he added.

In addition to holding meetings with the various Chambers of Commerce in the different cities, and touring of industries, the Uganda Embassy has exhibited Uganda’s traditional hospitality by hosting Turkish guests to gala dinners to facilitate networking between participants and continue discussions from B2B sessions.

Amb Nusura Tiperu presents Ugandan Coffee package gift to one of the raffle winners. (Courtesy)

Ndere Troupe performance. (Courtesy)

The cultural gala has featured an outstanding repertoire of music and dance from all over Uganda by the Ndere Troupe, headed by with veteran cultural entertainer Stephen Rwangyezi.

Besides touring the Turkish countryside, the Uganda delegation on Tuesday, June 17, the Vice Chairperson, Konya Chamber of Commerce Board, Fahrettin Doğru, in Konya Industrial City. The chamber has over 30,000 members and is ranked the 3rd largest chamber in Türkiye. The visit led to engagements with key industrialists in Konya city at the invitation of the business Association, ASKON, culminating in tours of several factories.

First stop was Yemsa Makina, an Industrial Equipment supplier, exporting to over 34 countries. Established in 1998, Yemsa has been operating as a leading brand in the feed machinery sector in Türikiye.

The Ugandan delegation also visited a chocolate and candy factory established in 1958 under the title of Konak Chocolate & Confectionery Industry and Trade Co. Konak currently exports their products to 15 countries & imports its chocolate powder from the Ivory Coast, exploring the importation of Uganda’s cocoa.

The last stop was AKONA Irrigation Systems, founded in 1972 as Akpinar Ticaret to serve the agriculture industry. After 1997, it became a major distributor of several international companies in Turkey, and is currently exporting to 34 countries. 

The MoFA release adds that during another meeting with at TURSAB Chapter Regional Office in Bursa, travel agents revealed that a number of Turkish tour agents would be taking a group of 80 first-time visitors to Uganda.

Ambassador Tiperu, while hosting the Tour Operators to the gala dinner in Bursa, said Uganda is beginning to see a growing number of Turkish travellers to Uganda, with arrivals from Türkiye growing from 1,120 in 2022 to 1,428 arrivals in 2023.

“Türkiye is among Uganda’s top 10 potential overseas markets for inbound tourism. There is a lot of potential to further grow the numbers, and we would like to work with you in this regard, she said. The Travel agencies in Bursa are excited and look forward to available tour packages that can be crafted after the Cultural gala for outbound tourism. With the introduction of direct flights to Türkiye, our target is 1000 additional visitors in the next 12 months,” said Amb. Tiperu.

UTB’s Marketing Manager, Francis Nyende, in his presentation, said that Uganda receives only about 1.5 million tourists per year.

Working with Uganda’s Missions abroad, the Board intends to grow this number exponentially. In his pitch, he said that Uganda may be little-known in Turkiye but it has so much more to offer beyond the Big5, a common staple in African Safaris. The diversity of culture offers an experience that is different, given the size of the country. So much is happening in a very small space that offers more value for money.

“The Cultural Gala has introduced Uganda to TURSAB and will hopefully offer up the much-needed diversity to the face of Uganda and the opportunities available to invest in the sector,” he said.

UIA Deputy Director for Investment Promotion, Rita Mugula, said that many lessons can be learned from Türkiye in how they have developed and structured the industry to make it as successful as it is.

“The Embassy is being intentional in sharing the good news about Uganda to a virgin market like Türkiye, not just for visitors but also for investors in the tourism sector,” she added.

The tourism and investment roadshow continues with a grand finale in the historic city of Istanbul on the 20th of June. The Uganda Embassy in Türkiye has signalled that Uganda is Open for Business.