Uganda’s ambition to expand agro-based exports and empower small businesses is facing a major hurdle: poor packaging.
Now, global and local experts say addressing this challenge could be the game-changer that unlocks international market access for Uganda’s agro-processors and artisanal producers.
Uganda has joined a select group of only seven countries globally and three in Africa to host the prestigious World Packaging Organization (WPO) Masterclass in Packaging Technology, which is currently underway at Protea Hotel Kampala from August 5th to 7th, 2025.
The training, organized by the Institute for Packaging Partners of Uganda (IPPU) in partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and funded by the WPO, is aimed at equipping players across the packaging value chain with knowledge and skills to improve packaging quality and standards.
Officiating the opening ceremony, Hon. Francis Mwebesa, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, called packaging “a silent barrier” standing between Ugandan products and global markets.
“Many of our agro-processed and artisanal products struggle to compete abroad because of substandard packaging,” Mwebesa said.
“We must now treat packaging as a strategic investment one that aligns with our Tenfold Growth Strategy to boost exports and industrial growth,” he added.
Packaging plays a critical role in product protection, shelf-life extension, and visual appeal all key determinants for market access and consumer acceptance.
For Uganda’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in the agro-processing sector, improved packaging could mean the difference between local shelf placement and access to lucrative regional and international markets.
Otto Tokwiny Bruno, the Uganda Country Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), echoed this sentiment, noting that packaging must go beyond design aesthetics.
“This is about cutting food losses, improving farmer earnings, and building more resilient local economies,” Tokwiny said.
He continued and said that UNIDO remains committed to helping Uganda’s MSMEs adopt sustainable industrial practices, including the use of appropriate packaging technologies to meet market standards.
With Uganda spending over USD 400 million annually on importing packaging materials, experts at the training emphasized the urgency of local capacity development to both support SMEs and reduce import dependence.
Uganda’s packaging sector itself is already valued at over USD 300 million, signaling its potential as a key driver of industrialization and economic transformation.
Juliet Musoke, the National Coordinator for Mark Up II under the International Trade Centre (ITC), stressed the need for knowledge transfer and technical assistance tailored to SMEs.
“Through ITC’s Mark Up programme, we’ve helped agro-enterprises improve product presentation and comply with export standards,” Musoke said.
“The right packaging can open regional and international markets for small producers who were previously locked out,” she added.
The WPO Masterclass, under the theme “Enhancing Value Addition, Market Access, and Sustainable Industrialization,” has attracted participants from agro-industries, packaging companies, academia, and government institutions.
Global experts leading the training include WPO President Prof. Pierre Pienaar and Prof. Charles Muyanja, Chairman of IPPU.
Uganda’s Trade Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a packaging ecosystem that is standards-compliant, innovative, and globally competitive.
Officials say this will not only support agro-export ambitions but also attract investment and drive local production of packaging materials reducing the current import burden.
The message from the Masterclass is clear: Ugandan SMEs can no longer afford to treat packaging as an afterthought. As competition for export markets intensifies, the quality of what wraps and protects a product is just as critical as what’s inside.
