Berna Namata
7 May 2008
Kampala — Uganda is set to host 35th Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) between June 18-20 that will be attended by foreign ministers and business men from Islamic countries including the world's oil producing countries.
The conference will be preceded by a business forum on June 16-18 at Imperial Royale Hotel, as a parallel event to the Council of Foreign Ministers to be held on the 18th -20 at the Speke Hotel Munyonyo in Kampala.
The forum will create a platform for sharing experiences and identification of investment opportunities in Africa with the 57 members of OIC that includes countries like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Brunei, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey among others, renown major players in international trade and investment.
"The meeting will lay a foundation for tapping investment opportunities within the region since Uganda is the only member of OIC within the East African Community. This is not an affair for only Uganda but the whole region; we have invited the East African Business Council to also participate. We want to promote business and investment in the region during this forum," said Mr. Isaac Musumba, the Ugandan state minister for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation) in an interview with The New Times.
One thousand participants are expected to attend the OIC Business Forum from the world over. The forum will also facilitate one to one match-making meetings with parties of same interest and a platform to meet potential investors and project financiers.
"Most of the richest people in the Arab world have confirmed their attendance and we encourage our business community to utilize this opportunity to promote their businesses. Most Islamic countries have decided to invest more in sub-Saharan Africa to fully tap the African market."
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