Enterprise Ireland is the Irish Government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. At the end of November 2014, the Embassy hosted two representatives from Enterprise Ireland. The visit came at an opportune time as the Embassy in Kampala is exploring ways of promoting trade between Ireland and Uganda/the region.
During the Enterprise Ireland visit the team met with senior officials from the Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives, the Ugandan Investment Authority (UIA), the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB). They also met with key figures in the Ugandan business community including the Country Manager of Tullow Oil and CEO of UMEME, Uganda’s energy distribution network. As well, they had the opportunity to meet with the Irish Uganda Business Network, a group organised by the Embassy of Ireland and designed to provide a platform for engagement between members of the Irish diaspora in Uganda involved in business.
Over the visit, discussions took place around key sectors of interest for Ireland, including oil and gas, agro technology and ICT. Enterprise Ireland’s representative, John McNamara and Fred Klinkenberg, explained that while their mandate is to create jobs in Ireland, the knock on effect is that through increased trade and investment jobs are created in countries where Irish companies do business. Enterprise Ireland is opening an office in Nairobi, Kenya in 2015. This will be a regional office covering Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
