Swedish Embassy marks National Day; commits to boost cooperation with Uganda

The Swedish Embassy in Kampala celebrated the National Day of Sweden with a focus on strengthening cooperation between Uganda and Sweden
Ambassador Håkansson highlighted achievements and plans to strengthen Swedish Development Cooperation with Uganda
Sweden is interested in bolstering economic cooperation with Uganda and is supporting projects to empower Ugandan businesses

As part of the celebration, H.E Maria Håkansson, Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, addressed the press yesterday about the event and highlighted achievements and plans to strengthen Swedish Development Cooperation with Uganda.

Ambassador Håkansson emphasised the longstanding and friendly relations between Sweden and Uganda, dating back to October 8, 1962, the day before Uganda's independence.

“Sweden and Uganda enjoy close and friendly relations,” Ambassador Håkansson said. “Many Ugandans have connections to Sweden, and Swedes have found a new home in Uganda. I am proud of the results of our development cooperation in Uganda in recent years.”

Among other areas, the envoy says Sweden has a strong interest in bolstering economic cooperation with Uganda.

She noted that her country is not only supporting a number of projects to this end but also empowering Ugandan businesses to be more export-oriented.

"In Sweden, we import a lot of Ugandan coffee,” she remarked.

“Recently I was in Rwenzori to visit a Swedish coffee producer who is teaching local farmers how to improve the quality of the coffee so that he can export it as a single-origin specialty coffee from Uganda. You can find this in Swedish supermarkets," she shared.

Additionally, the Ambassador highlighted the participation of Swedish businesses in the EU-Uganda Business Forum and the collaborative efforts with the Ugandan Embassy in Copenhagen to strengthen commercial relations between Sweden and Uganda.

On her part, Maria Lofstrand, the Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy, also spoke on the importance of supporting economic cooperation.

"There are different sectors with trade potential and we can seek them out and see how to support Uganda. Sweden as a development partner is interested in creating more jobs for women, youths, and refugees. We try to support sectors with trade potential and job creation," Lofstrand stated.

From 2018 to 2023, Sweden’s bilateral strategy for Uganda has contributed more than $240 million to the country's development. Funding is primarily directed through civil society and multilateral organisations such as the UN family and the World Bank.

Sweden's strategic focus areas in Uganda include:

Human Rights, Democracy, Rule of Law, and Gender Equality
Environment, Climate Change and sustainable, inclusive economic development
Equitable Health, including Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Humanitarian support

Sweden also provides core funding to international agencies active in Uganda, such as UNICEF, UNDP, and the World Health Organization.

Other areas of cooperation

In education, Swedish and Ugandan universities have collaborated for over two decades. Additionally, scholarships have been provided for Ugandan students to pursue Master's degrees in Sweden and participate in leadership programs.

"The partnership between the peoples of Uganda and Sweden today is vibrant, impactful, and forward-looking. We share a desire to create a greener and healthier future for our children, to enable economic growth that benefits the many, and to ensure that accountability and civic engagement have a fundamental role in our societies," Håkansson remarked.

She expressed Sweden's ambition to become even more innovative in its work, finding new partners and approaches to further support Uganda's socio-economic transformation.