The Executive Director of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), Mr. Stephen Asiimwe, paid a courtesy visit to His Eminence Dr. Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda, at his office at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters in Old Kampala on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Mr. Asiimwe explained that he had come to acquaint the Mufti with the work of PSFU as the apex body that brings together business associations and corporate entities with the aim of enhancing development through revenue generation by tapping into Uganda’s vast and largely untapped opportunities in manufacturing, agro-processing, tourism, and ICT.
He added that the foundation focuses on job creation for the youth and women, who form a larger part of the population, while promoting innovation as a driving force for attracting strategic investments from other parts of the world.
Mr. Asiimwe cited several areas where the UMSC could focus, including developing Islamic historical sites to attract tourists, such as the Muslim Martyrs Mosque at Namugongo and other places connected to the earliest Muslims in Uganda, as part of promoting religious tourism.
He also expressed delight at the concept paper recently designed by the UMSC Social Services Department, where members of the Muslim community plan to commemorate 200 years since the coming of Islam to Uganda.
“This is a brilliant idea. In fact, it is timely because it can be used as another platform to advertise Uganda as having rich halal products that could be marketed to the Muslim world,” he said.
He added that Uganda now has Islamic banking and Islamic insurance, which were recently launched by the government. He advised that key components of the commemoration should include business exhibitions and conferences for Muslim youth and women that could be attended by their counterparts from Muslim countries.
In conclusion, Mr. Asiimwe pledged to open a new chapter of cooperation with the UMSC through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU). He also committed himself to supporting the mobilization of resources to ensure the historic events are memorable.
Meanwhile, in his welcoming remarks, the Mufti recounted the state of affairs among Muslims when he assumed office twenty-five years ago, describing it as a period characterized by sharp disunity and conflicts.
“So that dire situation slowed down development in the community,” the Mufti said.
He added that the situation has since normalized due to the sound approach taken by his administration, which resulted in the amendment of the Council’s constitution, streamlining activities and enabling the UMSC to embark on development programmes that are now being channeled to lower leadership structures nationwide.
The Mufti also shared an idea regarding the planned commemoration of 200 years of Islam in Uganda, noting that the organizing team should borrow a leaf from the group that successfully organized the UMSC @50 celebrations held in 2024.
He further revealed that he had already mentioned the planned commemoration in a speech he recently delivered during the State House Iftar Dinner. The Mufti pledged to write to the President informing him about the event in the near future.
The Mufti welcomed the idea of collaboration between PSFU and UMSC, especially in capacity building and empowering youth and women with life skills.
“Otherwise, we need to ward off that mentality of dependency syndrome—thinking that we should always be given free money. In fact, it is no longer tenable. Even Arab countries that used to support us are now unable to do so due to challenges facing them. Rather, we should concentrate on the little resources we have to develop ourselves,” he said.
Earlier, the UMSC Secretary General, Hon. Haji Muluubya Ssekyanzi, spoke about the intended collaboration between UMSC and PSFU, describing it as very useful for resource mobilization and revenue generation.
Those in attendance included Haji Nuhu Muhammad Mayambala, President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce; Hon. Asha Nabulo Mafabi, MP-elect for Sironko District; Mr. Moses Agaba, an expert in events management; Hon. Imam Shafii Kagiiko, Secretary for Social Services and Grants; and Haji Sulaiman Musana Kawangunzi.