Gabonese President H.E Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema’s Fruitful Visit to Uganda: A Boost to Bilateral Relations
By The Public Lens
The Transitional President of the Gabonese Republic, H.E. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, and the First Lady of Gabon, Mrs. Zita Oligui Nguema, embarked on a two-day visit to Uganda, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and exploring opportunities for cooperation.
The visit, which took place on August 1-2, 2024, was marked by tours of various industries, a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni, and discussions on key areas of mutual interest.
On the first day, President Nguema and the First Lady visited Fine Spinners Uganda Limited, a textile factory located in Bugolobi, Kampala City.
They were received by the Chairman, Jaswinder Bedi, and the CEO, Sav Bedi, who conducted them on a guided tour of the production line.
President Nguema expressed his admiration for the factory’s success story, highlighting the importance of value addition to raw materials. “I am very impressed by what we have seen in this factory. To transform a product from its initial form is very impressive indeed. I am very pleased and I wish to form a partnership with the government of Uganda in adding value to our products,” he remarked.
The following day, President Nguema and the First Lady visited the Luwero Industries Complex, where they were hosted by Lt. Gen. James Mugira, Managing Director of the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), and Maj. Gen Sabiiti Muzeyi, General Manager of Luwero Industries.
The guests toured the Pro-Heli International Services Limited, which specializes in the repair, maintenance, overhaul, and upgrade of helicopters, and the armoured vehicle manufacturing plant.
President Nguema reiterated his call for deepening cooperation and collaboration between Gabon and Uganda in areas such as health, agriculture, military, and defence industries.
Lt. Gen. Mugira emphasized the need for self-reliance and building local capacity to exploit natural resources for strategic security.
“For the strategic security of the black race and the spirit of Pan-Africanism as brothers and sisters, there is a need to explore the abundant opportunities in order to cooperate and collaborate in the defence sector, including supporting the growth and development of each other’s defence industries,” he stressed.
The visit culminated in a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni, where they discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to mutual interest.
President Nguema described his visit as fruitful and thanked President Museveni, the First Lady, and the government of Uganda for the warm welcome.
He was seen off at Entebbe International Airport by Vice President Jessica Alupo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gen. Jeje Odongo, and other government officials.
