Park Management Training for Greener and More Competitive Industrial Development in Uganda

Park Management Training for Greener and More Competitive Industrial Development in Uganda

September 8, 2026

Category

Workshop

Kampala, Uganda | 27 August 2026. As Uganda advances its industrialization agenda, the effective management of industrial parks and special economic zones is becoming increasingly important to attract investment, while contributing to sustainable economic, environmental, and social benefits.

To support this transition, the Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotions Authority (UFZEPA), in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), held a two-day Park Management Training from 26 to 27 August 2026 in Kampala under a DANIDA co-funded project implemented through TradeMark Africa (TMA).

The training brought together about 35 representatives from government, public and private industrial parks, technical institutions and development partners to explore practical approaches to sustainable park management.

Participants were trained on the different management models, focusing on governance, staffing, infrastructure and service delivery, financing, stakeholder coordination and performance management. The discussions highlighted that developing successful industrial parks requires more than physical infrastructure; it also depends on management systems and the capacity to work with the businesses operating within the parks.

Ms. Rebecca Nalumu Wamono, Senior Manager, UFZEPA noted that “The future of Uganda’s free zones and industrial parks will not be determined only by how much infrastructure we build, but by how professionally we manage them, how effectively we serve our investors, how sustainably we finance them, and how continuously we improve our performance.”

Experts from GGGI: Ms. Nadia Zuodar, GGGI Sustainable Industrial Systems; Dr. Basil Oberholzer, GGGI Regional Economist; Ms. Regina Mwenyango, GGGI Senior Officer, Industrial Development & Project Manager; and Mr. Henry Nuwarinda, Principle Project Manager, Business Excellence and Integration: Industry Support Programmes, CSIR / NCPC-SA shared practical experiences in industrial park planning and management. Case studies from South Africa’s East London Industrial Development Zone and Atlantis Special Economic Zone providing lessons on governance and management structures, infrastructure and services, business planning and day-to-day park operations.

The training further drew on Uganda’s experience, including ongoing work at the Lugazi and Tororo sites, where green master plans and high-level investment concepts have been completed. These examples helped participants consider how management decisions can influence infrastructure planning, service delivery, revenue generation, and investment readiness.

Through group exercises and discussions, participants explored practical approaches for operationalizing the parks and using economic, environmental, and social indicators to track performance and support evidence-based decision-making.

Following the training, UFZEPA will build on the priorities identified by participants, with continued focus on strengthening park management systems, institutional capacity, partnerships, financing approaches and performance monitoring. The lessons from the training will also inform ongoing efforts to improve the management and long-term sustainability of Uganda’s industrial parks and free zones.

Through continued technical support and stakeholder engagement, GGGI hopes to continue supporting Uganda’s efforts to develop environmentally sustainable industrial zones.