The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has announced plans to commemorate the United Nations International Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day 2026 through the UG Catalyst Summit, a three-day event aimed at accelerating Uganda’s journey towards a USD 500 billion economy by 2040.
The summit, scheduled for June 25–27, 2026, will be organized in partnership with the National Planning Authority, Innovation Village Hub, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Uganda, development partners, private sector organizations, and other stakeholders.
Held under the theme, “Catalyzing Action for Growth: Accelerating Uganda’s Tenfold Growth through Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” the event will focus on reducing barriers that prevent MSMEs from entering the formal economy under the campaign slogan “Formalize to Rise.”
According to the Ministry, MSMEs remain the backbone of Uganda’s economy, accounting for more than 90 percent of the private sector and playing a vital role in employment creation, income generation, value addition, and enterprise development.
The government says the sector will be instrumental in delivering Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which seeks to expand the country’s economy to USD 500 billion by 2040 through investments in agro-industrialization, tourism development, mineral development, and science, technology, and innovation.
The UG Catalyst Summit will provide a national platform for dialogue, partnership building, investment mobilization, innovation showcases, and enterprise development. It is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, financial institutions, development partners, private sector players, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Among the key objectives of the event are recognizing the contribution of MSMEs to economic transformation, strengthening access to finance and markets, promoting participation in regional and global value chains, and showcasing innovative technologies and enterprise support systems.
The summit will feature high-level discussions and sector-focused engagements covering agro-industrialization, mineral development, tourism, and science, technology and innovation. Participants will also have opportunities to connect with investors, development finance institutions, regulators, anchor buyers, and international partners.
A major highlight of the celebrations will be the FreshValue Innovation Challenge 2026, launched by the Ministry in partnership with GAIN Uganda through the Nutrition Impact at Scale Project.
The competition seeks to identify and support innovative MSMEs and youth-led enterprises developing scalable solutions to strengthen Uganda’s fruit and vegetable value chains, improve access to nutritious foods, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance market competitiveness.
The challenge focuses on innovations that leverage European Union partnerships and technologies to strengthen Uganda’s horticulture sector, as well as youth-led enterprises operating in aggregation, logistics, cold-chain systems, processing, packaging, distribution, and technology-enabled services.
Winning enterprises will receive catalytic seed funding, mentorship, technical assistance, investment readiness support, and national visibility. The winners are expected to be announced during the MSME Day celebrations on June 27.
The Ministry expects the summit to increase the visibility of Uganda’s MSMEs, strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, improve access to financing and markets, promote innovation and technology adoption, and generate practical recommendations to enhance enterprise competitiveness.
Permanent Secretary Lynette B. Bagonza called upon government institutions, MSMEs, startups, innovators, financial institutions, investors, development partners, cooperatives, researchers, youth and women-led enterprises, and the media to actively participate in the celebrations.
She said the event presents a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships, support enterprise growth, and unlock the innovation needed to drive industrialization, create jobs, and achieve inclusive economic growth.
Bagonza emphasized that empowering MSMEs and helping them transition into the formal economy will be critical to realizing Uganda’s long-term development ambitions and building a resilient, competitive economy for the future.
