The United States has announced an indicative US$1.2 billion investment pipeline for Uganda under its new Trade Over Aid Deals framework, with the Roosevelt Africa Trail becoming the first initiative to be advanced under the platform.
The announcement was made on Friday, September 25, 2026, during the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York.
The initiative brings together proposed investments in tourism, infrastructure, technology, agriculture and hospitality, with the stated objective of linking Uganda to US investment, financing, technology and markets.
The announcement was made during a high-level Trade Over Aid Deals Showcase at the Lotte New York Palace, hosted by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and co-hosted by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and John Jovanovic, president and chairman of the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM).
Representatives of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) also attended the engagement.
The meeting brought together government officials, financing institutions, businesses and investors around a shift towards trade, investment and commercially sustainable partnerships between the United States and African countries.
Uganda pipeline
The US$1.2 billion figure represents the Uganda component of the Roosevelt Africa Trail and does not include Kenya and South Sudan, which form part of the wider regional initiative.
According to the announcement, Kenya and South Sudan are expected to develop their own nationally defined flagship projects and investment pipelines.
For Uganda, the Roosevelt Africa Trail is being positioned beyond its heritage and tourism dimension, with the proposed investment pipeline covering infrastructure, technology, tourism, agriculture and job creation.
The opportunities include the proposed Roosevelt Africa Museum of History and Science, Library and Resort, destination development, Smart Monuments and digital infrastructure, tourism and hospitality projects, as well as Roosevelt Africa Safari Coffee.
The Trade Over Aid platform is expected to support the transition of these opportunities from high-level economic diplomacy into feasibility studies, commercial structuring, financing, partnerships and eventual implementation.
High-level US-Uganda participation
Uganda was represented at the New York engagement by Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Ambassador to the United States Robie Kakonge, representatives of Uganda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Diana Kyaremera, CEO of AGE Safaris, and Roosevelt Africa Trail officials including Joshua Sentongo, director of business development and strategy, and Dr Frederick Kiggundu, director of finance.
The announcement follows a September 10 engagement at Uganda House in New York under the theme Shared Heritage, Shared Opportunity, where US Representative to ECOSOC Ambassador Dan Negrea supported advancing the Roosevelt Africa Trail through the Trade Over Aid framework.
What Trade Over Aid means
The Trade Over Aid framework is designed around expanding economic relationships through trade, investment, private enterprise and commercially sustainable partnerships.
Under the framework, investment opportunities are connected to US government agencies, companies, investors and financial institutions.
For Uganda, this could provide access to investment, technology, infrastructure, tourism markets and commercial partnerships, while creating opportunities for American companies to secure exports, contracts, customers and long-term commercial relationships.
From Lake Victoria to West Nile
The Roosevelt Africa Trail is built around the route and historical encounters associated with former US president Theodore Roosevelt’s 1909–1910 expedition through East Africa.
In Uganda, the proposed corridor begins around Lake Victoria and Entebbe before moving through Kampala and Buganda, Bunyoro-Kitara, Hoima, Masindi and Butiaba, Budongo Forest, Murchison Falls National Park and the Albert Nile towards Rhino Camp, Ajai Wildlife Reserve and the wider West Nile region.
The initiative seeks to connect the destinations through Smart Monuments, digital storytelling, archival material, accommodation, transport, restaurants, cultural experiences, conservation activities and local businesses.
The proponents say the ambition is to develop what they describe as the world’s longest connected smart heritage trail, turning a historical route into a modern tourism and commercial corridor.
Museum and destination development
A major component of the Uganda investment pipeline is the proposed Roosevelt Africa Museum of History and Science, Library, Resort and wider destination development.
The proposed development would combine heritage, science, research, conservation, hospitality, entertainment and tourism.
The museum and library would interpret the Roosevelt expedition alongside Uganda’s broader history, cultures, natural sciences and conservation story.
The wider project could include museum and library facilities, science and research functions, resort and hospitality facilities, visitor experiences, entertainment and supporting tourism infrastructure.
The development could create opportunities for companies in architecture, engineering, technology, hospitality, infrastructure, equipment and professional services.
Coffee takes centre stage
Agriculture is also central to the proposed investment pipeline through Roosevelt Africa Safari Coffee.
The initiative seeks to connect Roosevelt’s historical association with coffee with Uganda’s indigenous coffee heritage, particularly mwanyi, the Robusta coffee historically embedded in Buganda’s culture, hospitality and traditional ceremonies.
Beyond the heritage narrative, the proposition seeks to link Uganda’s coffee production with US investment, processing technology, branding, distribution and market access.
The initiative has already generated expressed interest from Keurig and an LOI/partnership pathway with US-based Kahawa 1893, according to the announcement.
The proposal is aimed at moving beyond exports of green coffee beans towards greater value addition through roasting, packaging, branded coffee, K-Cups, pods and other finished coffee products for the US market.
The proponents argue that such a model could allow Uganda to retain more value from its coffee through processing, manufacturing, exports and job creation while giving US companies opportunities in processing technology, equipment, packaging, logistics, branding and distribution.
EXIM and DFC financing pathways
The participation of EXIM and DFC could provide potential financing pathways as individual projects are developed into bankable transactions.
EXIM could potentially support eligible purchases of US equipment, technology and professional services for qualifying projects, while DFC could potentially support qualifying private-sector investments.
The proposed investment pipeline could consequently generate commercial opportunities for US companies in technology, artificial intelligence, architecture, engineering, hospitality, aviation, infrastructure, equipment, agricultural technology and value-added manufacturing.
However, the US$1.2 billion should not be interpreted as money already approved or disbursed.
The announcement describes the figure as an indicative Uganda investment pipeline, with individual transactions expected to go through feasibility assessments, eligibility checks, due diligence and formal approvals.
What it could mean for Uganda
If developed, the initiative could create investment and business opportunities across several parts of the country.
In Entebbe, Kampala and Buganda, the focus could include cultural tourism, hospitality, technology, creative industries and coffee-related enterprises.
In Hoima, Masindi, Butiaba and the wider Bunyoro-Kitara region, the proposed corridor could support visitor circuits, accommodation, guiding, transport and heritage businesses.
Budongo could benefit from opportunities linked to nature tourism, biodiversity, research, conservation and community enterprise, while Murchison Falls and the Nile could strengthen links between tourism, conservation, hospitality and local businesses.
In West Nile, the proposed corridor through the Albert Nile, Rhino Camp and Ajai Wildlife Reserve could support accommodation, transport, food supply, guiding, conservation experiences and community-based tourism.
The Smart Monuments concept could also create opportunities for Uganda’s technology, film, creative, heritage and digital-content industries.
From announcement to implementation
The immediate challenge will be moving the initiative from an announced investment pipeline to bankable projects.
The next phase is expected to involve breaking down the US$1.2 billion pipeline into individual transactions, completing feasibility studies, identifying US and Ugandan partners, structuring potential EXIM, DFC and private-sector financing, and converting commercial interest into formal agreements and projects.
The announcement therefore marks the beginning of a proposed investment process rather than the completion of US$1.2 billion in financing.
As Kenya and South Sudan develop their own projects under the wider Roosevelt Africa Trail, Uganda’s proposed corridor could form part of a broader East African network linking shared heritage with tourism, trade, technology, investment and jobs.
