Business Registration
Faster, affordable and digital registration reduces the time and cost of starting and formalising a business.
- Time to register
- 3–5 days
- Cost of incorporation
- UGX 263K–500K
- Online filing uptake
- >70%
UPCOMING EVENT
Third Annual Doing Business Forum
Unlocking Uganda's Tenfold Growth through the Construction Value Chain: Regulatory Reform, Local Capacity and Infrastructure Investment – Lessons from Ankole Subregion
- 200
- Expected participants
- 4
- Expected sessions
- 5 November 2026
- Date
- Mestil Hotel, Kampala
- Venue
- In person
- Format
Photograph from an earlier Forum — awaiting this edition's own
- Business Registration3–5 daysTime to register
- Taxation & Compliance30%Corporate tax rate
- Trading Licences1–2 weeksTime to obtain a licence
- Infrastructure Access30–45 daysElectricity connection
- Access to Finance18%Average weighted lending rate
- Property Registration30–45 daysTime to register property
- Contract Enforcement2 yearsAverage case resolution time
- Trade Facilitation24–48 hoursCustoms clearance
- Labour & Social Security15%NSSF coverage
Competitiveness Indicators
Uganda’s Business Competitiveness at a Glance
Key indicators shaping the cost, speed and ease of doing business.
Taxation & Compliance
Predictable tax requirements and efficient digital services make compliance easier and support better business planning.
- Corporate tax rate
- 30%
- VAT turnover threshold
- UGX 300M
- E-filing adoption
- >80%
Trading Licences
Simple and timely licensing reduces administrative costs and enables businesses to operate formally.
- Time to obtain a licence
- 1–2 weeks
- Licence cost
- Varies by sector
- Renewal compliance in urban areas
- 70%
Infrastructure Access
Reliable energy, transport and digital connectivity lower operating costs and connect businesses to suppliers, customers and markets.
- Electricity connection
- 30–45 days
- Kampala Expressway
- On course
- Malaba–Gulu railway rehabilitation
- 76%
- Air clearance time
- 45–60 min
- Internet penetration
- 50%
Access to Finance
The cost of finance affects firms’ ability to invest, expand production, adopt technology and create jobs.
- Average weighted lending rate
- 18%
Property Registration
Efficient property registration strengthens ownership security and supports investment and access to finance.
- Time to register property
- 30–45 days
Contract Enforcement
Faster and predictable dispute resolution reduces commercial risk and strengthens confidence in business transactions.
- Average case resolution time
- 2 years
- ECCMIS court automation rolled out
- 49 courts
Trade Facilitation
Faster and coordinated border processes reduce the cost of moving goods and strengthen firms’ competitiveness in regional and international markets.
- Customs clearance
- 24–48 hours
- Integrated in the Uganda Electronic Single Window
- 12 agencies
Labour & Social Security
Efficient labour and social-security systems support a formal, protected and productive workforce while simplifying employer compliance.
- NSSF coverage
- 15%
- PAYE compliance
- 70%
Your Journey
Choose Your Journey
Tell us what you're here to do. We'll guide you through every step — from first question to final approval.
Start a Business
Registrations, permits, compliance steps — tailored to your business type.
Explore
Invest In Uganda
Incentives, land acquisition, sector-specific guidance for foreign and local investors.
Explore
Export & Trade
Navigate export procedures, certifications, and trade facilitation programmes.
Explore
Access Finance
Discover funding schemes, development finance, and credit facilities available to you.
Explore
Resolve a Bottleneck
Flag regulatory or bureaucratic obstacles and get routed to the right authority.
Explore
Licences & Compliance
Find every licence, permit, and compliance requirement relevant to your sector.
Explore
Trade with the EU
Uganda's trade position, FY2024/25
Exports grew 80.8% in a single year
US$ million, financial yearExports reached $1.93bn in FY2024/25 while imports held flat.
A $1.16bn surplus, the largest on record
US$ million, exports less importsSurplusDeficit
Six deficit years give way to the strongest position Uganda has held.
Priority Sectors
Uganda's Priority Sectors
Uganda's Tenfold Growth Strategy targets four sectors with the highest potential for job creation and investment return.
Agro-Industry
From farm to factory — Uganda's agro-industrial opportunity
Uganda produces some of East Africa's most diverse agricultural output. We're building the processing capacity to match.
Explore Agro-Industry
Tourism
Gorillas, Nile, and a continent's most biodiverse landscape
Uganda hosts 10 of Africa's Big Five, half the world's mountain gorillas, and the source of the Nile. Investment in hospitality and eco-tourism is backed by policy and incentives.
Explore Tourism
Minerals, Oil & Gas
Beneath Uganda's surface — a resource investment opportunity
Oil reserves in the Albertine Graben, mineral deposits across multiple regions, and a regulatory environment being reformed for investor confidence.
Explore Minerals & Oil
Science, Technology & Creatives
Africa's next digital economy is being built here
Uganda's youthful population, growing tech ecosystem, and creative industries represent one of East Africa's most compelling digital investment stories.
Explore STI & Creatives Reforms Tracker
What's Changing
77 reforms government has committed to, each with the institution answerable for it and where it currently stands. 31 have started moving.
View all reforms Financing Schemes
Find Financing That Fits You
Public financing exists for most Ugandan businesses — credit facilities, guarantees and grants — but it is scattered across the institutions that run it. The register brings the schemes together and records who each one is actually for.
Schemes in the register9 schemes
Credit facilities, guarantees and grants from 9 public and development finance providers.
Available without collateral5 of 9
The requirement that stops most small businesses borrowing, waived or substituted.
Open to micro-enterprises6 of 9
Eligibility recorded per scheme, so you can tell before applying whether you qualify.
Open Opportunities
Open Opportunities
Agreements, financing, markets, institutions and skilling, coordinated across government and open to the private sector.
View all opportunitiesTrade agreementsTrade & Market Access
Bilateral & Regional Trade Agreements
Preferential market-access agreements Uganda has signed — EAC, COMESA, AfCFTA, the EU and others — with the commodities moving under each and the firms already exporting them.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Ministry of Trade, Industry & Cooperatives
FinancingAccess to Finance
Government-Backed Financing Schemes
Concessional credit, guarantees and targeted windows channelled through banks and government agencies to lower the cost of capital for businesses.
Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development
SkillingSkills & Workforce
19 Presidential Zonal Skilling Hubs
Nineteen Zonal Industrial Skilling Hubs across Uganda's 15 sub-regions, training 12,600 young people a year in trades employers actually need.
Office of the President · Ministry of Education & Sports
Latest
Forum editions and published documents
Upcoming forum
5 November 2026Third Annual Doing Business Forum
Unlocking Uganda's Tenfold Growth through the Construction Value Chain: Regulatory Reform, Local Capacity and Infrastructure Investment – Lessons from Ankole Subregion
Mestil Hotel, Kampala
Fact sheet
August 2026Trade Fact Sheet: Uganda – European Union
Key statistics and highlights on the trade relationship between Uganda and the European Union, including flows, top products and market-access notes.
Open the document