President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday evening at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, greeted the president at the airport.
The two leaders are expected to hold bilateral talks today Monday .
Museveni last year was in Abu Dhabi for the 2020 Dubai trade Expo where he later met and bilateral discussions with the leaders of Dubai, Abudhabi and Sharja.
During that visit, he asked Ugandan officials to exploit the expo to sell Ugandan products abroad
The president singled out sim sim, whose entire market size in the UAE is $839 million, despite the country’s limited exports to the country.
He also mentioned dairy milk, which has a market value of $2.846 billion but Uganda’s exports are just $374 million, and bananas, which have a market value of US$664 million but Uganda has never entered that market.
“Northern Ugandans cultivate sim sim.” This is a fresh opportunity. It’s great that you’re aware of how much your country is losing. Repentance is allowed in Christian religion; if you repent, you have a chance to get to heaven. That market is convenient for us because it is close by, barely five hours away,” he explained.
Mangoes, pineapples, mung beans, chocolate, tilapia, tea, coffee, and vegetables are among the various things available.
Museveni is expected to try once more to win market access for Ugandan products.
