President Yoweri Museveni has directed relevant government ministries to accelerate support for Uganda’s automotive industry following the successful completion of the Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025 by Kiira Motors Corporation.
The President made the call while hosting the Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025 Homecoming Luncheon, held to celebrate the successful journey of the Kayoola E-Coach from Uganda to South Africa and back.
Museveni congratulated the Kiira Motors team for what he described as a landmark achievement, saying the expedition demonstrates Africa’s growing capacity to design, manufacture and export home-grown technology.
“This achievement shows that Africa can design, manufacture and export its own technology,” the President said.
He noted that Uganda’s industrialisation agenda is aimed at rebuilding the productive economy that existed before colonialism, when artisans and indigenous innovation played a central role in economic development.
Museveni said modern industrialisation should build on that foundation by promoting local manufacturing, technological innovation and value addition.
To fast-track the country’s industrial transformation, the President directed the relevant ministries and agencies to expedite financing for strategic manufacturing projects, guarantee markets for locally manufactured buses through government off-take arrangements, and support investment in battery production to strengthen Uganda’s electric vehicle industry.
He emphasised the need for greater urgency in implementing industrial development programmes, saying delays could slow the country’s economic transformation.
“We must stop working slowly. Uganda’s industrial transformation cannot wait,” Museveni said.
The Presidential Pearl to Cape Expedition 2025 saw the locally manufactured Kayoola E-Coach complete a cross-continental journey from Uganda to South Africa and back, showcasing the country’s advances in electric mobility and automotive engineering.
The expedition has been hailed as a major milestone for Uganda’s manufacturing sector and a demonstration of the country’s ambition to position itself as a regional hub for vehicle production, innovation and clean transport solutions.
The month-long journey, which began on November 20 and ended on December 20, took the 13-metre e-coach through Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini and Cape Town, South Africa-to activate new markets, secure sales, and elevate the visibility of Ugandan-made technologies.
The expedition was designed to promote Uganda ‘s e-mobility solutions while demonstrating the reliability and excellence of the Kayoola E-Coach, a vehicle designed and built in Africa, for Africa and its critical digital infrastructure and smart solutions.
According to company officials, the “Made in Uganda to Southern Africa” expedition was also intended to activate the southern Africa regional market for innovations and products made in Uganda.
