Entebbe, Uganda – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni bid farewell to India’s outgoing High Commissioner to Uganda, H.E. Upender Singh Rawat, commending him for his contribution to strengthening the longstanding bilateral relations between Uganda and India. President Museveni received the outgoing envoy during a farewell call at State House, Entebbe, where he thanked him for his service and wished him success in his next tour of duty. “Thank you for your service in Uganda, and I wish you good luck in your next tour of duty,” President Museveni told the outgoing High Commissioner.
Before meeting the President, H.E. Rawat held a farewell meeting with Hon. Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The engagement provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in Uganda–India relations and the continued importance of strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, education, technology, health and other areas of mutual interest. H.E. Rawat served in Uganda for three years and three months, during which Uganda–India relations continued to develop across political, economic and technical fields. His tenure coincided with renewed efforts by both countries to expand economic engagement and diversify bilateral trade.
According to an Economic Policy Research Centre study drawing on ITC Trade Map data, Uganda exported goods worth approximately US$459 million to India in 2024. Uganda’s principal exports included precious metals and stones, particularly gold, valued at about US$353 million, as well as coffee worth approximately US$78.5 million. India’s exports to Uganda included pharmaceuticals, machinery, vehicles and mineral fuels. The two countries had also taken steps to address the trade imbalance. In March 2025, Uganda and India held the Third Session of the Joint Trade Committee in New Delhi, the first such meeting in 23 years. The two sides reviewed trade and investment relations and identified minerals, coffee, pulses, spices, dairy products and other commodities as areas with potential for expanded trade.
During his tenure, H.E. Rawat also highlighted cooperation beyond trade, including the establishment and operationalisation of the first offshore campus of India’s National Forensic Sciences University in Jinja on 12 April 2023. The institution strengthened collaboration in forensic science, education, scientific research and security. He further highlighted cooperation between the Indian High Commission, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bank of Uganda on the National Payment Switch, aimed at supporting secure cross-border financial transactions and improving remittance mechanisms.
The outgoing High Commissioner was accompanied during the State House farewell call by Mr. Yogender Singh, Second Secretary at the High Commission of India, and Ambassador Henry Mayega, Head of International Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As H.E. Rawat prepared to return to India for his next assignment, his departure marked the conclusion of a diplomatic tenure that had seen continued engagement between Kampala and New Delhi, including efforts to strengthen economic diplomacy and expand practical cooperation between the two countries.
