By Carol Kasujja Adii and Michael Odeng
The Nigerian High Commissioner has called upon Vision Group Vision management to continue organising the Harvest Money Expo every year.
Ambassador Ismail Ayobami Alatise said this was his first time attending the expo, adding he was impressed by what he had seen in different stalls.
“I have visited different stalls and this is a success story. The Harvest Money Expo is something that Vision Group should sustain because it is good,” Ayobami noted.
The ambassador, who tested Volcano Ugandan coffee at the expo, said he had been in Uganda for five months, adding that Ugandan coffee was excellent.
“I have had the privilege of tasting Ugandan coffee and I can confirm that it is very good. It is more natural compared to the Nestle that I am used to back home in Nigeria,” Ayobami said.
Asked how Ugandans can penetrate the Nigerian market to sell their agricultural products Ayobami said;
“The Nigerian High commission in Uganda is trying to organise events like the Nigerian-Uganda Business and Investment Development to bring the two countries together.
“We want government officials and the private sector to interact and see how they can do more business together. We are trying to sell some ideas to Nigerian investors so that they can come to Uganda and invest in their areas of interest, while also encouraging Ugandans to invest in Nigeria so that we increase the level of interactions between the two countries.
“We have discovered that Nigeria and Uganda’s cordial relationship has transformed into an economic partnership. We must improve our trade relations. We are doing our best as a nation to close the gap and several products can go to Nigeria from Uganda and from Nigeria to Uganda. We need to promote the Intra Africa treaty starting with bilateral relations. We want a number of products to go to Nigeria because we have a huge market.”
The three-day expo, under the theme Farming as a Business – Post-Harvest Handling and Value Addition, ended yesterday, Sunday, February 12, 2023. It was sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Agriculture Ministry, National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Pepsi, Engineering Solutions Ltd (ENGSOL), RIELA/UPFRONT, Agricultural Credit faculty, Uganda warehouse Receipt Systems Authority, Champrisa International and State House.
Photo Caption: Alatise (L) tours the Private Sector Foundation Uganda stall at during the Harvest Money Expo at Kololo in Kampala. Right is Ibrahim Talemwa, head of production Volcano Coffee. Photo by Mpalanyi Ssentongo
