Uganda Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in uganda, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Overview

Uganda’s infrastructure needs remain substantial. With a 10% annual growth rate in car ownership, Uganda’s road network is seriously overburdened, especially in and around cities. Furthermore, Uganda’s roads are poorly maintained, making transportation costly and dangerous. The government continues the expansion of Entebbe International Airport, although work is at least four years behind schedule. The Kabalega International Airport in the oil rich Albertine Graben region, which will be the country’s second international airport, was completed in 2024. The much delayed $2 billion Standard Gauge Railway linking the Uganda-Kenya border town of Malaba to Kampala has commenced. Uganda secured domestic financing of $75 million for the preliminary works, and an $800 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank. 

Uganda’s 2024 National Population and Housing Census revealed that at least 60% of Ugandans live in informal settlements or inadequate housing. With an estimated 300,000 housing units needed per year, commercial construction and residential construction in Uganda are booming to address the 2.6 million housing deficit. In September 2025, Uganda’s parliament passed the Mortgage Refinancing Bill to improve access to mortgage facilities. The government allocated 14.6% of its 2025/26 national budget to transport and infrastructure. Uganda has limited domestic production of the equipment needed to develop large-scale infrastructure projects. Additionally, Uganda’s growing industries and service providers need larger and more modern sites, such as industrial zones, in which to operate. 

Opportunities

There is a demand for effective project management services, construction expertise, and finance. The Uganda National Oil Company is seeking investors for its 30-square kilometer Kabalega Industrial Park, which will include the 60,000 barrel per day oil refinery, upstream crude oil export hub, and the Kabalega International Airport. Each of these projects will be developed independently. 

The Ministry of Works and Transportation is seeking investors in the following construction projects:

  • Public-Private-Partnership construction of the following national roads: Kampala – Busunju (50 km); Kampala – Bombo (30 km); Kampala outer beltway (120 km); suspension toll-bridge between Buwaya Landing Site and Nakiwogo; Jinja – Malaba Expressway (200kms)

Resources

 

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