Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) and Pamoja Packaging Industrial Solutions have broken ground on a packaging factory at Namanve Industrial Park, a Shs29 billion investment aimed at cutting Uganda’s heavy reliance on imported packaging.
State Minister for Industry David Bahati officiated at the ceremony on Thursday, November 5, alongside Special Presidential Adviser Amelia Kyambadde, as covered by ChimpReports and confirmed by UDC on its official X account.
UDC took a 49% stake in Pamoja Packaging in 2024 through ordinary and preference shares valued at Shs29 billion, ChimpReports reported. The plant is due to produce recyclable and biodegradable plastic and paper packaging for food, beverage, agro-processing, pharma, healthcare and retail clients.
Jobs, capacity and import substitution
Bahati said Uganda imports about $500 million a year in polymers and packaging roughly Shs2 trillion and that local production keeps jobs and foreign exchange at home, according to Nilepost's report on the groundbreaking. The factory is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, with priority for nearby communities, and to run within about 12 months. Roughly 90% of the machinery is already on site, board chair Moses Abindabizemu said.
Planned lines include PET preforms, flexible printed packaging, cartons, shopping bags and industrial bags. Design capacity cited for PET preforms is up to 38,800 units an hour.
Why it matters
Packaging has been a bottleneck for Ugandan manufacturers: high import costs, delays and weak presentation hurt both domestic sales and exports. A large local plant at Namanve sits inside the government’s import-substitution and Buy Uganda Build Uganda push, and feeds into the Uganda Industrialisation Conference 2026 later this month as UDC marks 10 years since its re-establishment.
Who is affected and what comes next
Coffee, sugar, milk, soap and other processors that buy packaging, plus job-seekers around Mukono/Namanve, stand to gain if the plant opens on schedule. Construction completion and first commercial output within 12 months are the next milestones. UDC has signalled it could put in more capital as the project advances.
INDUSTRY
UDC Breaks Ground on Shs29bn Packaging Plant at Namanve
Nov 5, 2026
Nov 5, 2026
2 min read
Published
Updated:
Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) and Pamoja Packaging Industrial Solutions have broken ground on a packaging factory at Namanve Industrial Park, a Shs29 billion investment aimed at cutting Uganda’s heavy reliance on imported packaging.
State Minister for Industry David Bahati officiated at the ceremony on Thursday, November 5, alongside Special Presidential Adviser Amelia Kyambadde, as covered by ChimpReports and confirmed by UDC on its official X account.
UDC took a 49% stake in Pamoja Packaging in 2024 through ordinary and preference shares valued at Shs29 billion, ChimpReports reported. The plant is due to produce recyclable and biodegradable plastic and paper packaging for food, beverage, agro-processing, pharma, healthcare and retail clients.
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Jobs, capacity and import substitution
Bahati said Uganda imports about $500 million a year in polymers and packaging roughly Shs2 trillion and that local production keeps jobs and foreign exchange at home, according to Nilepost's report on the groundbreaking. The factory is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, with priority for nearby communities, and to run within about 12 months. Roughly 90% of the machinery is already on site, board chair Moses Abindabizemu said.
Planned lines include PET preforms, flexible printed packaging, cartons, shopping bags and industrial bags. Design capacity cited for PET preforms is up to 38,800 units an hour.
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Why it matters
Packaging has been a bottleneck for Ugandan manufacturers: high import costs, delays and weak presentation hurt both domestic sales and exports. A large local plant at Namanve sits inside the government’s import-substitution and Buy Uganda Build Uganda push, and feeds into the Uganda Industrialisation Conference 2026 later this month as UDC marks 10 years since its re-establishment.
Who is affected and what comes next
Coffee, sugar, milk, soap and other processors that buy packaging, plus job-seekers around Mukono/Namanve, stand to gain if the plant opens on schedule. Construction completion and first commercial output within 12 months are the next milestones. UDC has signalled it could put in more capital as the project advances.
