The 1st Uganda Tourism, Coffee & Tea Expo in Egypt has opened at the Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski in Cairo. The two-day event aims to highlight Destination Uganda to tourists as well as to promote Ugandan coffee and tea to Egyptian consumers and businesses.
The Expo is organized by the Uganda Embassy in Cairo, in collaboration with other MDAs, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).
With a population of over 110 million people, Egypt has been identified as a lucrative market for Ugandan Coffee and Tea, due to their heavy consumption by the population. Egypt is also a potential source market for high-end tourists seeking authentic products.
During the opening ceremony, Amb. Lt. Gen. Charles Angina, Charge d’Affaires at the Uganda Embassy in Cairo, made a compelling presentation to the guests on Uganda’s natural beauty and appealing destination for both tourists and investors.
The opening ceremony was attended by hundreds of participants from Egypt, including government officials, members of the diplomatic community based in Cairo, in addition to attracting tour operators, coffee and tea exporters, and business leaders from both countries.
Dr. Yousrey Elsekawi, Chairperson of the Egypt Africa Business Association (EABA), praised the growing cooperation between Egypt and Uganda and called for increased commerce. He called on Egyptian investors and businesses to take advantage of opportunities in Uganda to expand their reach.
Mr. Mostafa El Gendy, Egyptian Senior Presidential Advisor on investment, commended Uganda’s openness to investments. Also in attendance was the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Cairo, H.E. Amb. Dr. Mohamadou Labarang from Cameroon, Chairman of the Arab Business Association in Cairo, and the leaders of the Ugandan diaspora community in Cairo. The Embassy is leveraging the cordial relations between Uganda and Egypt to boost trade and investment across many sectors.
“Good relations must translate into tangible outputs manifested in increased volumes of trade and investment in critical areas,” said Charge d’Affaires a.i. Amb. Angina.
During the Expo, Ugandan participants will have B2B engagements with their Egyptian counterparts for possible partnerships that will lead to increased export of coffee and tea from Uganda.
In 2023, trade between Uganda and Egypt stood at US$141 million, with Egyptian exports to Uganda amounting to US$109 million while Uganda’s exports to Egypt amounted to US$32 million. Uganda’s key exports to Egypt include coffee and tea, dairy products, spices, and raw tobacco. On the other hand, Egypt exports to Uganda iron and steel, plastics, sugar and confectionery, cereals and pharmaceutical products. Uganda’s exports to Egypt have been growing at an annualized rate of 25% since 2018. During the same period, remittances from Egyptians working in Uganda stood at US$4.8 million, while transfers from Ugandans in Egypt hit $1 million.
Stronger relations following State Visit
In August 2025, President Yoweri K. Museveni held talks with his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during a 3-day working visit to Cairo, with trade and investment top on the agenda. The two Heads of State witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation agreements in various sectors including agro-processing, manufacturing, mining and extractives, energy and pharmaceuticals. The visit followed an earlier high-level visit to Kampala by the Egyptian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources.
According to Amb. Angina, Egypt presents plenty of opportunities for Uganda’s tourism sector. He highlighted the Embassy’s role in building bridges between the tourism sectors in both countries, pointing out that the two countries have unique attractions that complement rather than compete with each other. “In 2024, Uganda received about 1.5 million tourists, compared to Egypt’s 16 million foreign tourists over the same period. It is through outreaches like the ongoing Expo that Uganda aims to increase its visibility to Egyptian tour and travel operators and travelers seeking new and authentic destinations,” he said.
Mr. Allan Tazenya, Counselor and Commercial Officer at the Embassy, reflected on the importance of the Egyptian market to Uganda’s export promotion efforts. “Egypt is the gateway to Europe and the Middle East,” said Tazenya. He called on Ugandan businesses to explore opportunities in the massive Egyptian market, emphasizing that, in a bid to popularize Destination Uganda consistently, the Embassy will ensure that the Expo is held every year in Cairo and other Egyptian cities.
The Uganda Embassy in Cairo is one of the Missions implementing the Economic and Commercial Diplomacy (ECD) strategy, which feeds into the Tenfold Growth Strategy being implemented by the government of Uganda, to grow the economy from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040. Under ECD, Missions are involved in promoting trade, attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and promoting tourism and technology transfer.
