Africa-Press – Uganda. Government planners and private sector leaders have unveiled a new national platform aimed at accelerating Uganda’s economic transformation by placing enterprises at the centre of growth under the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV).
The National Planning Authority (NPA), in partnership with Innovation Village Hub, on Wednesday launched the UG Catalyst Summit, a two-day forum expected to link businesses to markets, capital and coordinated support systems across key sectors of the economy.
The summit, scheduled for June 25–26 in Kampala, is anchored in the government’s priority areas of agro-industrialisation, tourism development, mineral development, and science, technology and innovation.
Officials say the initiative is designed to move Uganda beyond policy frameworks and into practical implementation, with a focus on measurable economic outcomes driven by enterprises.
“Uganda’s growth agenda is grounded in a clear and robust national plan. The priority now is ensuring that enterprises are effectively positioned within that system to deliver measurable results,” said Ms Rita Ngenzi, Executive Director of Innovation Village Hub.
She added that the summit seeks to align enterprise pipelines with market opportunities, financing and institutional support to enable businesses to scale and contribute meaningfully to national growth.
Uganda is targeting a tenfold expansion of its economy by 2040 under NDP IV. However, planners acknowledge that while the policy direction is clear, translating it into tangible outcomes remains a challenge.
Mr Asumani Gulobi, Senior Manager for Development Planning at NPA, said stronger coordination between policy, investment flows and enterprise development systems is critical.
“From a national planning perspective, the priority is ensuring that enterprises can contribute directly and measurably to NDP IV outcomes. This requires stronger alignment between policy, enterprise development systems, and investment flows,” Mr Gulobi said.
The summit comes at a time when Uganda’s private sector is largely driven by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which account for more than 90 percent of businesses and employ between 70 and 80 percent of the workforce.
Despite their central role, many of these enterprises face persistent barriers, including limited access to structured markets, weak integration into value chains and a mismatch between available financing and business readiness.
Organisers say the UG Catalyst Summit will address these gaps by creating a coordinated execution platform that brings together government, investors and private sector players around structured enterprise pipelines.
A key feature of the summit will be the introduction of an “Opportunity Dashboard,” a digital intelligence platform designed to provide real-time data on enterprise readiness, sector demand and investment opportunities.
The dashboard is expected to guide decision-making, improve capital allocation and enable tracking of enterprise contributions to national growth targets.
Officials say this data-driven approach will enhance accountability and ensure that resources are directed to enterprises with the greatest potential for impact.
The summit will be structured along four sector-specific tracks aligned to NDP IV priorities, with each track focusing on connecting businesses to financing, partnerships and market opportunities within its respective value chains.
By aligning the event with the International MSME Day on June 27, organisers say Uganda is positioning itself within the global conversation on enterprise-led development.
“The opportunity now is to shift from fragmented support to coordinated execution by organising ecosystem actors, financing and market opportunities around enterprise pipelines,” Ms Ngenzi said.
The summit is also expected to produce an action paper outlining key priorities, curated enterprise pipelines linked to sector opportunities, and sector intelligence reports generated through the dashboard.
Planners say these outputs will guide future investment decisions and strengthen coordination among stakeholders beyond the event.
The initiative reflects a broader shift in Uganda’s development strategy from policy formulation to execution with enterprises seen as the engine for delivering jobs, productivity and sustained economic growth.
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