Kampala Trade Fair Draws Record 40,000 Visitors as East Africa Business Confidence Grows

For Immediate Release

KAMPALA, UGANDA — The Kampala International Trade Fair has recorded its highest ever attendance, drawing more than 40,000 visitors across its eight-day run at the Uganda Manufacturers Association grounds in Lugogo. The figure surpasses the previous record by a significant margin and reflects the growing appetite among Ugandan consumers, businesses, and international exhibitors for a major East African trade platform.

This year's fair attracted exhibitors from 28 countries, including a substantial contingent from the Gulf states, China, and Europe. The minerals and precious metals segment saw expanded representation compared to previous years, with several companies from the UAE exhibiting alongside East African mining suppliers, reflecting the deepening commercial relationship between the Gulf and East African extractive sectors.

Uganda's trade fair circuit has grown alongside the country's broader economic development, and the Kampala event has established itself as the most significant such gathering in East Africa outside of Nairobi. The combination of Uganda's central position in the East African Community and Kampala's role as a transit hub for goods moving between the coast and landlocked neighbours makes the city a natural location for a regional trade showcase.

Exhibitors from the agricultural machinery, construction, financial services, and consumer goods sectors reported strong buyer interest and signed supply agreements during the fair, with organisers estimating total commercial deals concluded during the event at approximately USD 180 million — a significant increase on the previous year's figure.

"A trade fair that draws 40,000 visitors from across East Africa and beyond is a serious commercial event. The fact that Kampala is hosting the region's most attended fair says something important about the city's position. It has real commercial depth, genuine buyer power, and the infrastructure to host events at scale. That combination is attracting exhibitors who might previously have looked only at Nairobi." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold

The minerals and extractive sector pavilion was among the most visited at this year's fair, reflecting Uganda's growing profile as a minerals producer. The country's gold sector has expanded significantly in recent years, and international buyers attending the fair included representatives from refining and trading companies from the UAE, India, and Switzerland seeking to establish or strengthen Ugandan supply relationships.

Uganda's government used the fair as a platform to announce improved facilitation services for minerals exporters, including a streamlined licensing process and new assaying infrastructure at Entebbe Airport designed to accelerate the documentation and export of precious metals from Uganda's Great Lakes mining regions.

"The level of international commercial interest in Uganda is qualitatively different from five years ago. The trade fair visitor numbers reflect a broader story of a country that has developed the infrastructure, the governance, and the business environment to attract serious international partners. The minerals sector is part of that story — buyers from the Gulf and Asia are attending trade events in Kampala specifically because Uganda's gold sector has reached a scale worth engaging with directly." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold

Organisers announced that next year's fair will expand the exhibition space to accommodate growing exhibitor demand and will introduce a dedicated East African minerals and precious metals conference running alongside the main trade floor programme. The addition reflects the growing commercial significance of the extractive sector within Uganda's broader trade profile.

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