President Yoweri Museveni has invited Iceland entrepreneurs to come to Uganda and invest in Uganda’s priority areas of the economy such as infrastructure development, harnessing energy for development and in the agro-processing sector for the export market.

President Museveni was last evening speaking at a state dinner the President of Iceland, Mr. Olafur Ragner Grimsson, hosted in his honour at State House, Reykjavik.  

The President is in Iceland on a 3-day state visit and is accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Janet Museveni and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sam Kutesa.

The Ugandan leader thanked the government and people of Iceland for the development and humanitarian assistance that Iceland continues to extend to Uganda particularly in the areas of adult literacy, energy, fisheries and scientific research.  He told his host that the “assistance has greatly contributed towards the vision for ‘Prosperity For All’, which is aimed at raising household incomes, especially for the rural poor”.

He commended Iceland for making great strides in the areas of geo-thermal energy, hydro power, ICT and in fisheries, adding that Uganda would like to share the Icelandic people’s experience in these areas.
He said he was impressed by the achievements Iceland had registered in transforming itself socially, economically and politically and said his government’s aim is to transform Uganda from a peasant, pre-industrial society to a knowledge-based industrial society.

He also assured his host that Uganda will support his country’s candidature for the United Nations Security Council slot saying that Uganda also shared the same vision of serving on the same Council.

He invited President Grimsson to visit Uganda and the invitation was gladly accepted.

While welcoming the Ugandan leader to Iceland, President Olafur Grimsson, who was accompanied by his wife, Madame Moussaieff saluted the people of Uganda and hoped “the growing co-operation between the two countries will be a model for others to emulate and a demonstration of how we can work together for a more successful common future for our people”.

He said President Museveni’s visit to his country was a demonstration of the desired goal of close collaboration in areas of geo-thermal resources, fishing and ICT where Iceland already has a comparative advantage. He assured the President that the people of Iceland will co-operate with the people of Uganda to achieve the desired collaboration.

He told President Museveni that the African people, through the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the precursor to the African Union (AU), supported the Icelandic cause for freedom and even sent a delegation of solidarity to Iceland in support of the struggle of independence.

He said in welcoming President Museveni and his delegation, he was paying “tribute to the vision of the African leaders who decades ago, understood that solidarity across oceans was essential in building a progressive global community”.

The State dinner was attended by the Prime Minister of Iceland, Mr. Geir H. Haardes, other Icelandic cabinet ministers, Uganda’s Ambassador to Denmark and Iceland, Mr. Joseph Tomusange and the two Members of Parliament, Hon. John Odit of Erute South Constituency and Mubende women MP Hon. Najjuma Kassasa, who are also accompanying the President on this state visit to Iceland.