South Africa and Uganda seek to facilitate trade
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessday
South Africa and Uganda want to remove trade barriers and increase investment between the two countries, notably by facilitating the movement of goods and companies’ access to markets. In Pretoria, foreign ministers Ronald Lamola and Adonia Ayebare discussed an agreement on standards and trade facilitation, as well as a joint working group, Businessday reports.
South Africa and Uganda want to reduce trade barriers and boost bilateral investment. Foreign ministers Ronald Lamola, for Pretoria, and Adonia Ayebare, for Kampala, discussed these objectives during the third session of the Joint Cooperation Commission between the two countries, in Pretoria, according to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Uganda asked South Africa to speed up the conclusion of a draft agreement on trade facilitation. The text covers, in particular, the recognition of standards and conformity assessment, in order to facilitate the movement of goods between the two markets. The discussions also aim to improve access to investment information and address regulatory and administrative obstacles reported by companies.
Ronald Lamola cited MTN, Standard Bank, Absa and Sanlam among the South African companies already operating in Uganda. He said investment between the two countries had not yet reached its potential and proposed a joint working group to identify investment opportunities in both directions and monitor the difficulties faced by companies.
The two ministers also discussed regional integration, peace, security and economic development. The meeting was held on Tuesday 20 October 2026, according to the South African department, which reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to strengthening their trade relations.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
