KAMPALA – The Uganda-South African Investment and Trade Summit has ended at Speke Resort Munyonyo, with the Chief Guest, Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni meeting and interacting with the MTN team led by the group Chairman Mcebisi Jonas, flanked by MTN Uganda Chairman Charles Mbire, MTN Uganda chief Executive Ms. Sylivia Mulinge and Principal Private Secretary Kenneth Omona.
The President came to officiate at the closing of the Summit which was convened in line with MTN’s commitment to partnerships in driving sustainable development.
In his concluding remarks at the Summit President Museveni said he forgave MTN for the past and thanked MTN along with Stanbic and Absa for their efforts and participation in the Summit. He further encouraged the companies to continue to invest in Uganda and to encourage other businesses across industries, including manufacturing to invest and benefit in the country.
MTN Group Chairman Mcebisi Jonas, noted the importance of working together and paying focused attention to the growth and development of the various countries that MTN has operations in and in Africa as a whole.
He said, “as a Pan-African organization MTN sees its role as an important part of the broader conversation to support and facilitate growth and development across the continent and that is why the Group has played its part in engaging with the public and private sector to make the Summit a reality.”
The summit attracted high powered delegation from South Africa including a government delegation led by the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development Thoko Didiza, the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and her Excellency the South African High Commission to Uganda.
The private sector, which was led by the Forum for South African Business in Uganda was represented by leadership of MTN, Standard Bank Group, Absa Group, Multichoice, Quantum Foods, Tiger Brands, Woolworths, Convergence Partners and Sanlam Group alongside amongst others.
The Summit, builds on an initial Uganda-SA Investment Trade Summit that was hosted by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, in February continued the conversations related to bilateral trade and investment across the two countries.