President Museveni has called for increased Japanese Investment in Uganda, particularly in agro- processing and urged Japan to support the country with road construction equipment to accelerate infrastructure development.
The president made the call today during a meeting with a Japanese delegation led by Ambassador Takahashi Misako, Director General and Assistant Minister for the African Affairs Department at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at State House, Entebbe.
The discussions focused on strengthening Uganda- Japan bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, energy, investment, education, health, youth development and other areas of mutual interest.
President Museveni commended Japan for its support to Uganda's infrastructure development, citing projects such as the Kampala Flyover and Karumu Bridge.
He said Uganda requires more road construction equipment to support road works across the country and proposed that each local government should have its own machinery rather than relying on shared equipment.
The president said the equipment could include graders, tracks, compactors and other earth-moving machinery, adding that the machinery does not necessarily have to be new provided it is durable and can be repaired and maintained locally.
He also requested a meeting with Japanese companies operating in Uganda to discuss challenges affecting their business and explore ways of strengthening their operations.
The president further called for increased Japanese Investment in agro- processing, saying value addition would create jobs, expand economic opportunities and contribute to Uganda's economic growth.
He said uganda supports wealth creation with both domestically and globally because a stronger global economy creates markets for products from different countries.
The Japanese delegation said Japan would continue supporting Uganda's Development through infrastructure projects, human resource development, education, health and refugee support.
Ambassador Takahashi Misako said Japan was considering additional support for the Kampala Flyover and road upgrading projects and was also exploring possible support for the improvement of the kibuye- busega road.
On trade and investment, she said 17 Japanese companies currently have bases in Uganda, operating in sectors including transport, health, manufacturing and agriculture.
The meeting also discussed education and youth development. The Ambassador said more than 200 Ugandans had studied in Japan under Japanese Government Scholarship Programmes, while More than 4000 Ugandans had traveled to Japan through various Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA)  training programmes.