Preparations are ongoing for the 14th East African Procurement Forum and Business Expo 2023 to be held in Kampala from 23rd to 26th March 2023. It’s expected to unlock business opportunities to boost trade relations between East African community countries.   

The forum convenes annually, drawing participants from civil society, public institutions, and the private sector to showcase their products

This year's 14th East African Procurement Forum is scheduled to take place at the Kololo Independence grounds under the theme "Open Contacting as a Vehicle to Sustainable Development."

The East African Procurement Forum brings together regulators from across the region who oversee over 200,000 registered suppliers from the seven partner states of the East African Community (EAC).

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga presided over the breakfast preparatory meeting for the upcoming forum. She says the community is committed to growing East African trade by 50% in the next two years to 2025.

Aloysius Byaruhanga, the Director and Performance and Monitoring at the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) says that the upcoming Expo is aimed at creating business opportunities for investors who want to do business with the government and the private sector.

Oscar Kamukama from the private sector said that they face a lot of challenges while doing business in other countries and appealed to the government to engage its counterparts.  

Agaba Moses, the Director of Fathil International called for partnerships to improve the business environment in the region

The East African Procurement Forum was established in 2008