Uganda unveils $1.2 billion tourism-tech pipeline to US officials as potential Trade-Over-Aid flagship

On September 25, Uganda’s Roosevelt Africa Trail team displayed an indicative $1.2 bn suite of tourism, infrastructure, agriculture and technology proposals to US officials and investors at the Lotte New York Palace during the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week. The initiative, limited to Uganda within a regional scheme that also involves Kenya and South Sudan, is pitched as the first entry in the emerging US “Trade Over Aid” Deals Library, although US government material has not confirmed the valuation or designated it as such.

The projected amount aggregates the estimated worth of projects such as a Roosevelt Africa Museum, digital “Smart Monuments,” hospitality developments and a branded coffee venture, each of which still needs feasibility studies, eligibility checks and financing approvals, and no binding contracts with firms like Keurig or Kahawa 1893 have been confirmed. Senior US participants—including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Ambassador Mike Waltz, Export-Import Bank President John Jovanovic and UN Economic and Social Council Representative Dan Negrea—attended to offer exposure rather than direct financing, while US agencies such as the International Development Finance Corporation were present without committing to appraisals. Ugandan officials led by Foreign Minister Adonia Ayebare and Ambassador Robie Kakonge said the next phase will break the pipeline into individual projects, complete studies and secure partners, with the final investment amount dependent on secured financing.