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Promote:Uganda

Export from Uganda

A short guide for companies selling from Uganda: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.

1. What Uganda sells, and who buys it

Top goods exports

2025

  1. 1. Gold (HS 7108)US$6.4 billion
  2. 2. Coffee (HS 0901)US$2.46 billion
  3. 3. Cocoa beans (HS 1801)US$632.3 million
  4. 4. Sugar (HS 1701)US$232 million
  5. 5. Ceramic tiles (HS 6907)US$161.9 million
  6. 6. Petroleum oils (HS 2710)US$132.9 million
  7. 7. Palm oil (HS 1511)US$123.1 million
  8. 8. Fish fillets (HS 0304)US$102 million
Show 12 more products
  1. 9. Cement (HS 2523)US$95.9 million
  2. 10. New rubber tires (HS 4011)US$85.7 million
  3. 11. Wheat flour (HS 1101)US$80.9 million
  4. 12. Dried beans and peas (HS 0713)US$76.5 million
  5. 13. Bulldozers and graders (HS 8429)US$69.3 million
  6. 14. Motorcycles (HS 8711)US$62.6 million
  7. 15. Electrical energy (HS 2716)US$60.5 million
  8. 16. Flat-rolled steel (HS 7210)US$60.4 million
  9. 17. Concentrated milk and cream (HS 0402)US$57.3 million
  10. 18. Cereal flours (HS 1102)US$56 million
  11. 19. Steel bars and rods (HS 7214)US$55.9 million
  12. 20. Live plants (HS 0602)US$55.3 million
  • Gold (HS 7108) is 50.0 percent of 2025 exports, and the United Arab Emirates took 79.4 percent of it; shares to the top destinations follow gold sales. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Exports rose 59.2 percent in 2025, and gold added US$3.0 billion of the US$4.8 billion increase. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Uganda's 2025 report has no re-export flow, so these values include any re-exports; check each line before you source locally. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: UN Comtrade, Uganda exports by product, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

Where the goods go

2025, share of goods exports

  • United Arab Emirates40.5%
  • Hong Kong10.5%
  • Italy5.6%
  • Kenya5.3%
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo5.2%
  • South Sudan4.1%
  • Germany3%
  • Rwanda2.8%
  • The United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong took 51.0 percent of 2025 exports, and gold was 98.1 percent of the value sent to those two. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: UN Comtrade, Uganda exports by destination, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

2. What to look into next

Our reading

Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.

3. Trade agreements

What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.

  • AfCFTA

    The trade ministry lists the African Continental Free Trade Area among the agreements Uganda has joined; it covers 55 African states, with trading since January 1, 2021.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access, so check the importing country's tariff schedule and whether it applies the agreement.

    Source: MTIC, External Trade Achievements (international agreements)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • East African Community (EAC) Customs Union and Common Market

    The trade ministry lists the EAC treaty with its customs union and common market protocols, and URA describes how exports to partner states are cleared.

    Rules-based framework, so check origin rules and the domestic taxes the destination partner state still charges.

    Source: MTIC, External Trade Achievements (international agreements)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

    The trade ministry lists the COMESA Treaty among the agreements Uganda has joined, so Ugandan goods may qualify for COMESA preferences.

    Rules-based preference, so check that your destination applies the COMESA free trade area and that your goods meet its origin rules.

    Source: MTIC, External Trade Achievements (international agreements)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  • COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area

    SADC names Uganda among the states that deposited ratification, so Tripartite preferences cover trade with other ratifying states.

    Rules-based preference, so confirm that your destination has ratified and that your goods meet the Tripartite origin rules.

    Source: SADC, Tripartite Free Trade Area in force, 2024-07-24⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of July 24, 2024

Show 2 more agreements

  • AGOA

    As of June 30, 2026, Uganda was not among the 33 countries designated for 2026, so AGOA, the United States' trade preference program for eligible African countries, does not apply.

    Public Law 119-103 extended AGOA to 2028 and designations are reviewed each year, so check the latest Federal Register list before you quote.

    Source: USTR, Federal Register notice on AGOA eligibility, 2026-06-30⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of June 30, 2026

  • United Kingdom Developing Countries Trading Scheme (Comprehensive Preferences)

    As of the tier list read on October 31, 2026, Uganda is in the Comprehensive Preferences tier for least developed countries, so goods enter the United Kingdom under that tier.

    Check the product's origin rules and the tier's conditions before you quote a duty-free price.

    Source: GOV.UK, Developing Countries Trading Scheme preference tiers⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

4. Steps to export

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Exporting from Uganda

  1. Get a taxpayer identification number, which you need to import, export and apply for most other licenses.Uganda Revenue AuthorityFree; instant for an individual form, 1 to 3 working days for a companyOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: MoFPED Doing Business Portal, TIN registration, reviewed 2026-06-15⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of June 15, 2026

  2. Register with the body that covers your product, as the export authority's guide lists them: MAAIF for horticulture, cocoa, oilseeds and poultry, and the Coffee Department for coffee.Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and FisheriesOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: UFZEPA, Export Requirements guide⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  3. For gold, obtain an export license from the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines and follow the traceability steps it requires.Directorate of Geological Survey and MinesOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: UFZEPA, Export Requirements guide⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  4. Apply for a certificate of origin from the revenue authority or the national chamber, for the agreement your destination uses.Uganda Revenue AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: UFZEPA, Export Requirements guide⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

Show 4 more export steps
  1. Get product certification and the Quality Mark permit if your goods need it.Uganda National Bureau of StandardsPermit UGX 500,000 for micro and small enterprises, UGX 1,000,000 for others, as of 2026-08-18Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: MoFPED Doing Business Portal, product certification, reviewed 2026-08-18⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 18, 2026

  2. Obtain a phytosanitary certificate for plant products.Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and FisheriesOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: UFZEPA, Export Requirements guide⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  3. Have a licensed declarant lodge the export declaration through the customs system and the Uganda Electronic Single Window.Uganda Revenue AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: URA, Export Procedure⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

  4. If you manufacture from imported raw materials, register for duty drawback and claim it after export.Uganda Revenue AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: URA, duty drawback guidelines, 2023-08-24⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 24, 2023

5. Organizations that help exporters

Start with UFZEPA and URA. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Export development and market information

Show 2 more organizations

Customs and tax

Standards and sector requirements

Show 1 more organization

Chambers and industry associations

6. Worth knowing

Show 1 more

7. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
  • Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Uganda project.

Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.

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Promote:Uganda is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.