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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new business platform, Business Network Uganda (BNU), has been launched to connect entrepreneurs, professionals and investors and promote trade, investment, and knowledge exchange and business partnerships between Uganda, Kenya and the wider East African region.
The platform, which operates under Bizsphere Club, was launched in Kampala on September 19, with Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ababu Namwamba, calling on businesses to play a greater role in strengthening regional economic cooperation.
Namwamba said stronger private-sector collaboration could help translate the close economic ties between Kenya and Uganda into increased investment, production, innovation and market opportunities.
“As neighbours and EAC partners, Kenya and Uganda share deeply interconnected labour and economic markets. The Kenyan diaspora in Uganda is therefore not an isolated community; it is part of a wider East African economic space,” Namwamba said.
He said BNU could provide a platform for turning this connectivity into practical economic opportunities for businesses in both countries.
The launch was attended by Presidential CEO Forum Chief Executive Officer Irene Mugisha and Stephen Kalibbala, who represented the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry president.
The speakers highlighted the role of the private sector in influencing policies that support business growth, investment and regional economic integration.
The launch comes as Kenya and Uganda continue to deepen their economic relations within the East African Community. Commercial diplomacy and increased trade between the two countries have also been identified among Namwamba’s priorities during his tenure in Kampala.
Namwamba said the Kenyan diaspora in Uganda should be viewed not only as a source of remittances but also as a potential channel for mobilising capital, skills, technology and international business networks.
Data from the Central Bank of Kenya shows that Kenya’s annual diaspora remittance inflows reached about US$5.04 billion in 2025, up from US$4.945 billion in 2024.
“The diaspora is no longer viewed simply as a source of remittances. Governments now frame the diaspora as a strategic development partner capable of mobilising capital, transferring skills and technology, opening markets and strengthening international networks,” he said.
He urged entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda to look beyond traditional cross-border trade and explore opportunities for joint investment, production and partnerships.
“An entrepreneur in Kampala should see Kenya not only as a place to send money, but as a market in which to invest, a production base with which to partner and an ecosystem in which capital, technology and expertise can be deployed,” Namwamba said.
He encouraged BNU to work with government agencies, including the Diaspora Investment Support Office and the Kenya High Commission, to identify and promote bankable investment opportunities.
The proposed areas of collaboration include mapping members’ investment interests and capabilities, identifying viable projects in Kenya and Uganda, facilitating joint ventures and syndicated investments, and connecting young entrepreneurs to mentorship, markets and financing.
“Let BNU become a platform for investment, innovation, knowledge exchange, mentorship, market access and Kenya-Uganda enterprise partnerships,” Namwamba said.
He also emphasised that the economic value of the diaspora extends beyond financial capital, pointing to professional expertise, technology, international experience and networks as important resources for regional development.
“The value of the diaspora is not only in shillings and dollars. It is also in knowledge, professional networks, technology, ideas and international experience,” he said.
He proposed professional knowledge exchanges, sector-specific forums, mentorship programmes and structured engagements involving universities, professional bodies and research institutions in Kenya and Uganda.
“Expertise acquired abroad does not have to remain abroad; it can circulate between Kenya, Uganda and the wider region for mutual benefit,” Namwamba said.
