Africa-Press – Uganda. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) has opened registration for the National Trade Review Conference (TRC) 2026, a strategic policy forum aimed at aligning the country’s trade architecture with its ambition to grow the economy from about $50 billion (Shs190 trillion) to $500 billion (Shs1,900 trillion) by 2040.
The conference is scheduled for March 4–5, 2026 at Speke Resort Munyonyo under the theme “Trade-Driven Transformation: Propelling Uganda to a $500B Economy by 2040.”
Government describes the forum as a high-level, evidence-based, multi-stakeholder dialogue designed to generate actionable policy recommendations and concrete reform commitments to accelerate implementation of Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
The strategy is anchored on the ATMS model — Agro-industrialisation, Tourism Development, Mineral Development, and Science, Technology and Innovation — priority sectors expected to catalyse structural transformation, enhance value addition and increase export competitiveness over the next 15 years.
According to MTIC, the conference will bring together between 250 and 350 participants from government ministries, departments and agencies, private sector leaders, MSMEs, cooperatives, civil society, academia, development partners, regional trade bodies and the media.
The objective is to undertake a comprehensive review of Uganda’s trade performance, institutional coordination and readiness to tap into emerging regional and global market opportunities.
A major highlight will be the official launch of the revised National Trade Policy (NTP) and the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), alongside the National Trade Policy Development and Implementation Plan and an Online Reporting Platform.
These instruments are intended to modernise Uganda’s trade governance framework and provide a structured roadmap for reform implementation.
The revised frameworks are expected to guide regulatory reforms aimed at lowering the cost of doing business, strengthening standards and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) compliance, improving services trade competitiveness, promoting minerals-based industrialisation, scaling agro-industrial value chains and deepening cooperative-led trade expansion.
They are also designed to enhance trade order, quality assurance and standardisation to improve Uganda’s export positioning.
Anna Nambooze, Country Director of TradeMark Africa, said the conference comes at a pivotal moment as Uganda recalibrates its trade policy nearly two decades after the current framework was adopted.
“TradeMark Africa’s support for this Conference reflects our commitment to enabling trade through integrated and practical reforms that reduce the cost of doing business, improve border efficiency, strengthen standards and SPS compliance, and enhance value-chain competitiveness, while promoting the inclusion of women and youth,” she said.
She added that improved coordination across trade institutions and stakeholders would help align priorities, accelerate reform implementation and reinforce trade as a central pillar of Uganda’s Tenfold Growth ambition.
The ministry has called on businesses across manufacturing, agro-processing, ICT and digital trade, logistics, financial services, minerals, high-value manufacturing, cooperative enterprises and services sectors to register and actively participate in shaping Uganda’s evolving trade and industrial policy direction.
Exhibitor registration has also opened, with organisers positioning the exhibition segment as an opportunity for enterprises to showcase innovations, build partnerships, engage policymakers and position their brands within Uganda’s evolving trade and industrial landscape. Exhibition space will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The conference is supported by UK International Development and TradeMark Africa, underscoring development partner backing for Uganda’s trade reform and export growth agenda.
Officials say the conference will culminate in a time-bound national communiqué and implementation matrix to guide follow-up actions and ensure accountability.
The outcomes-focused approach, they argue, will help accelerate export growth, deepen value addition and drive inclusive economic transformation as Uganda works toward its $500 billion economic vision by 2040.
