Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has held talks with Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
The meeting took place at Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai on the sidelines of the ongoing World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates. Nabbanja conveyed warm greetings from President Yoweri Museveni and reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations.
“I bring you warm greetings from His Excellency Gen. Yoweri Museveni, and he wishes you and the people of Equatorial Guinea well,” Nabbanja told President Obiang.
President Obiang praised Museveni’s Pan-African leadership and his efforts in promoting peace and stability across the Great Lakes region and the continent. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem, also attended the meeting.
Uganda Seeks Investment in Waste Management
In a related development, Nabbanja met investors and development partners to explore opportunities for Uganda. She held discussions with Rafael Lopez SanJurjo, CEO of Tandeef under BEEAH Group, about improving waste management in Kampala and other cities.
“We are eagerly waiting to receive you in Kampala so that we can find ways of managing our waste, which is majorly organic. This will further cement our relations and foster business between the two countries,” Nabbanja said.
She urged the investors to integrate local garbage collection companies into their operations to protect small businesses. She also assured them that Uganda was developing a waste management policy to encourage sorting at the household level.
“We want all people to start sorting their waste right from household level so that it is easier to manage our garbage,” she said.
UAE investors pledged to partner with Uganda to process waste into valuable products such as clean energy, fertilizers, and fuel.
During a previous visit to a waste processing plant in Sharjah, UAE, Nabbanja learned that the facility converts 1,000 tonnes of garbage daily into 30 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power 28,000 households.
“The garbage we have here helps us generate power and produce other valuable items. Garbage should not be seen as a burden but rather as a resource,” Lopez said.
He confirmed that a technical team would visit Uganda the following week to assess the country’s waste management needs and make recommendations.
“We are determined to ensure that this collaboration starts as soon as possible. Our technical team will be coming to Uganda to make an assessment so that we can come up with the final position,” Lopez said.
Discussions on Digital Finance
Nabbanja also met Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer of Crypto.com, to discuss financial technology and digital transactions. She emphasized the need for Uganda to adopt modern financial systems while ensuring protection against fraud.
Moses Kaggwa, Director of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, revealed that Uganda is working on regulations to govern digital financial services.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Environment Beatrice Anywar highlighted the benefits Uganda could gain from the World Governments Summit, particularly in finding solutions to global challenges.
As part of the summit, Nabbanja is expected to deliver President Museveni’s message to world leaders on environment and health. The event, themed “Shaping Future Governments,” brings together leaders and experts to discuss governance, innovation, and sustainable development.
