KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has urged Chinese investors to explore the East African nation’s underexplored tourism sector, highlighting its unique attractions and potential for growth.
Tayebwa made the appeal Tuesday during a meeting with a visiting Chinese delegation led by Jiang Zuojun, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Zuojun also chairs the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, a minor non-communist party.
“We urge more Chinese to go beyond manufacturing to support tourism, because the beauty of Uganda is as good as that of China and we have unique attributes. Like how you have Pandas, we have mountain gorillas, where 60% of them are in Uganda,” Tayebwa said. He cited Chinese investor Paul Zhang, who has already established a hotel in Murchison Falls National Park, as an example.
China’s Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, and Paul Zhang, known as Mugaga, the architect behind the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, were also present at the engagement. The industrial park is notable for assembling high-tech goods, including mobile phones.
Tayebwa commended the influx of Chinese entrepreneurs, crediting their presence with significantly boosting Uganda’s economy through import substitution, value addition and job creation. He noted that Uganda now exports marble globally thanks to a Chinese-owned factory in Karamoja. The country is also increasingly relying on locally manufactured products, including tiles from a Chinese factory in Kapeeka, as well as aluminum, steel and electronics produced within Uganda.
Tayebwa attributed this growth to the strong ties between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Despite tourism being one of Uganda’s top foreign exchange earners and China having granted Uganda approved destination status, Tayebwa lamented that the sector remains largely underexplored.
“We hope your visit will help raise the profile of Uganda in China as a destination for Chinese tourists and we appeal to you to use your office to encourage Chinese tourists to visit Uganda — the Pearl of Africa,” Tayebwa implored.
Zuojun pledged action, noting that given China’s large aging population, efforts would be made to encourage citizens to travel abroad for tourism.
Tariff Barriers, Coffee Trade and Trade Imbalance
Ambassador Lizhong highlighted China’s zero-tariff treatment granted to Uganda under a policy introduced during last September’s Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting.
“Last September, Uganda and China also signed two protocols regarding the quarantine,” Lizhong said. “You know, issues about dried chili and fish products, meaning that these two categories can be exported to China with zero tariff.”
However, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the Budadiri West legislator and chairperson of the Bugisu Cooperative Union, pointed out that coffee exports to China still face significant obstacles.
“As the ambassador was speaking, I never heard him mention coffee as a commodity exempted from tax. In 2001, there was a company called China-Uganda, which was formed to deal in coffee. I would imagine that the company should be revived for purposes of allowing coffee, which is our leading export, to enter the Chinese market,” Mafabi suggested.
Uganda is among the few African countries benefiting from China’s 98% zero-tariff treatment initiative, part of China’s effort to further open up its market.
By the end of 2023, trade volume between Uganda and China grew to $1.3 billion, with Uganda’s exports to China increasing by 19.6%, according to the Chinese embassy in Uganda.
Despite this growth, Tayebwa expressed concern over the growing trade imbalance and appealed to China to open its market to more Ugandan exports.
“Uganda’s exports to China are considerably less than its imports from China, resulting in a trade deficit,” he said. “Last year, Uganda exported goods worth $54 million (193.5 billion shillings) to China, while imports from China were at $1.1 billion (4 trillion shillings). This imbalance is a point of concern. Efforts are being made to strengthen trade ties and increase Ugandan exports.”
Tayebwa expressed gratitude for China’s granting 98 of its tariff lines duty-free and quota-free market access to Ugandan products.
“The biggest challenge we have is meeting the quality standards, which we are working on,” Tayebwa concluded. “I request technical support so that we can meet the required standards in the short term.”
