UGANDA,SOUTH SUDAN TO CUT COSTS OF DOING BUSINESS AT THE SECOND BUSINESS FORUM

Government officials from Uganda and South Sudan are set to cut cross border costs cost of doing business and unlock new market opportunities between the two countries at the second Uganda-South Sudan Business Forum and Expo taking palce from October 13 to 15 at Mestil Hotel in Kampala. Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Charles Ssentongo, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said the forum will provide another opportunity for the two countries to deepen their commercial ties. “Our two countries have been trading with each other for a very long time. What has changed is the framework in terms of the East African Community and the sovereignty of the Republic of South Sudan. So what we are trying to do here is find ways of enhancing and promoting business between our two countries,” Amb. Ssentongo said. He said both countries offer immense trade and investment opportunities that need to be tapped into. “More importantly, we must create an environment that is conducive and attractive for foreign direct investment, both in Uganda and South Sudan. It is important to note that as we talk about business between our two countries, we also have to put it in the wider context of the East African Community. Both our countries are leading and important members of the East African Community,” he said. Ssentongo said discussions at the business forum would focus on trade between the two countries while placing bilateral business relations within the wider regional context. “We should not only emphasise the individual markets of our respective countries, but also the important and large market of the East African Community, of which we are key members. We must make sure that the relationship between our two countries remains strong, but we also must address the challenges that impede trade. At the same time, we must work on the important aspects that are going to drive the smooth conduct of business within the East African Community,” he said. South Sudan is one of Uganda’s largest and most important export markets, with bilateral trade heavily favouring Uganda. According to Ambassador Ssentongo, trade between the two countries has averaged between $700 million and $800 million annually over the past few years, with the trade largely driven by Ugandan and South Sudanese businesses. He said the business forum provides another opportunity to increase trade volumes. “We need to bear in mind that the task we have is to increase this volume of trade to higher levels by addressing those impediments and creating the necessary environment for our businessmen to conduct their business,” he said. Officials said the two countries mainly trade in agriculture, manufacturing, construction and a wide range of services, particularly education and health. Anthony Kabugudho, the Political Attaché at the Ugandan Embassy in Juba, said Uganda is currently the biggest supplier of agricultural products to South Sudan. “In terms of food items, currently we own about five markets in Juba, and that means about 58 trucks cross into South Sudan every day through Elegu with food items. On top of that, we have also increased our trade volumes within the construction sector. All the construction materials currently in Juba or South Sudan are coming from Uganda, which is a very big milestone,” Kabugudho said. He said Uganda’s presence in South Sudan’s service sector, particularly education and health, had also grown significantly. “In the service sector, education and health, it has also been boosted, and currently we control the biggest percentage of the health sector and the education sector. A number of universities, about two or three, are Uganda-based and operating in Juba. We have a lot of medical institutions which are there, including a nursing school,” he said. Ambassador Ssentongo said Uganda’s exports to South Sudan had grown significantly over the years, rising from $341 million in 2019 to $490 million in 2024. He said current estimates put Uganda’s exports to South Sudan at about $600 million, describing the growth as a significant achievement. “So a combination of our interaction with our colleagues on the other side, the partners, and the resilience and the interest of the Ugandan businessmen to grow the business between Uganda and South Sudan are to credit for these,” he said. The Chargé d’Affaires at the South Sudan Embassy in Kampala, Akuol Abujok Deng, said the volume of trade moving between the two countries every day demonstrated what was possible when neighbouring countries embraced partnership. “The theme of this forum, easing the cost of doing business and unlocking regional market opportunities, speaks to what matters the most. Addressing them is not only an economic task; it is how we build resilience, create jobs and strengthen our regional integration,” Akuol said. “Our two governments must keep performing in the interest of our two sisterly countries, with high consideration for easy access to markets, simple procedures, transparent regulations and efficient cross-border systems. The private sector must keep investing, innovating and forming partnerships that last beyond this forum,” he said.