Over the past decade Swedish and Swedish related companies have showed an increased interest in doing business in the East African region. As a result, there are an increasing number of commercial actors with a Swedish connection in Uganda.
The total value of Swedish exports to Uganda in 2020 amounted to USD 22.1 million. Exports from Sweden are dominated by telecom equipment and engineering products. Swedish imports from Uganda consist mainly of agricultural products like coffee and tea. The total value of Swedish imports from Uganda in 2020 amounted to USD 2.76 million.
A handful of major Swedish companies, as well as several smaller businesses, are represented in Uganda. Business Sweden and Swedfund cover Uganda from their offices in Nairobi. Business Sweden and Swecare has in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden in Kampala brought several trade delegations to Uganda in recent years.
The Swedish East African Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm (SWEACC) was established in November 2010. The chamber works actively to promote trade and investment between Sweden and the countries of East Africa.
Team Sweden is an umbrella for all Sweden’s government agencies, boards and companies currently working on export promotion initiatives for Swedish businesses. Team Sweden aims to make things simple and straightforward for companies wanting to enter the export market. Team Sweden includes the most important ministries and government agencies working in the area of exports.
Find out more about Team Sweden at this link:
http://www.regeringen.se/informationsmaterial/2016/07/questions-and-answers-about-team-sweden
Trade with Sweden
Are you interested in exporting your products to Sweden, or do you wish to make imports? Would you like to explore opportunities for investments in Sweden? Below is a list of Swedish institutions dedicated to making it easier for foreign companies to do business with Sweden. This is your gateway to the Swedish market.
Business Sweden
Business Sweden is a merger of the Swedish Trade Council (Exportrådet) and Invest Sweden, founded on January 1, 2013. Its mission is also to facilitate for foreign actors to invest in Sweden, to offer companies support and to help create opportunities for Swedish exports. Business Sweden is jointly owned by the Swedish government and the industry, represented by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Foreign Trade Association.
Nordic Business Association (NBA)
The Nordic Business Association in Uganda is a business association that promotes trade and investment from the Nordic countries into Uganda. NBA offers social networking and tailored business seminars for its members.
Swedish-Ugandan Business Association (SUBA)
SUBA provides a forum for networking between Swedish companies in Uganda and Ugandan based business entities. SUBA serves both as a forum for information sharing between member companies, and as a source of information and reference regarding the business environment, trade and investment opportunities in Uganda.
Swedish East African Chamber of Commerce (SWEACC)
SWEACC was launched in November 2010 and has the objective to promote the development of trade and investments between Sweden and the countries of the East African Community (EAC). The chamber serves as a platform for networking between business people interested in this objective.
Association of Swedish Chambers of Commerce and Industry
The Association of Swedish Chambers of Commerce is the national organisation and network for regional chambers, all uniquely positioned at the heart of every business community in Sweden. Chambers are important links for contacts and networking on regional, national and international levels.
National Board of Trade
The National Board of Trade (Kommerskollegium) is an independent government agency acting as an expert administrative authority on foreign trade and Swedish trade policies. Its activities fall mainly within the framework of the European Union and its internal market, but the Board also advocates an open and strong multilateral trading system, continued trade liberalisation and a simplification of trade procedures. It provides analyses of Swedish trade policies and information on i.e. import licences.
Swedish Federation of Trade
The Swedish Federation of Trade (Svenskt Näringsliv) is the principal organ in Sweden for Swedish importers, wholesalers, suppliers and retailers. It has 20 000 members, of whom a large number of trade associations and local business organisations. The Federation works for increased imports to Sweden and thus promotes free trade across borders. It aims at enhancing the awareness of the significance of trade and imports to Sweden. A special unit called the Import Council offers service to companies that want to export to Sweden, on i.e. import licences, border inspections, import documents and customs regulations. It assists companies in establishing contacts between suppliers from abroad and Swedish trade associations/companies and offers information on Swedish markets and trends.
Open Trade Gate Sweden
Open Trade Gate Sweden is one component of Sweden’s wish to strengthen the capacity of developing countries’ ability to trade and export. The initiative to form and develop Open Trade Gate Sweden stems from the Swedish Minister of Trade and Industry and the Swedish Minister of Development Cooperation. Open Trade Gate Sweden is a part of the National Board of Trade, which is Sweden’s governmental authority for foreign trade and trade policy. The service is free of charge.
Kompass
This free-to-use comprehensive database provides information such as name of companies, contact details, address, telephone, fax, e-mail, and web addresses of Swedish companies.