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L-R; Ambassador Yahya Semuddu, Special Envoy to the State of Qatar, Ambassador-designate Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zwaidi, with the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs in Charge of Regional Affairs, John Mulimba during the meeting. (Courtesy photos)
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The State of Qatar is set to open a Resident Embassy in Uganda, ambassador-designate Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zwaidi has revealed.
Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs describe the development as a clear indicator of the seriousness with which the State of Qatar considers the bilateral relationship.
Ambassador Al Zwaidi announced the plans from Doha on Wednesday (November 05) while presenting copies of his letters of credence to the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs in Charge of Regional Affairs, John Mulimba.
“It is an honour to be appointed the first Resident Ambassador to Uganda,” he remarked during the engagement with Mulimba during a meeting at MoFA headquarters in Kampala.
While Uganda has a resident Embassy in Qatar, the Qatari Embassy to Uganda has hitherto operated on a non-resident basis in Nairobi with multiple accreditations to Uganda.
In his welcome remarks, Mulimba thanked the State of Qatar for the decision to open an Embassy in Uganda.
“This is a true testimony of our growing bilateral relations,” he said.
Ambassador-designate Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zwaidi being escorted by Chief of Protocol Amb Charles Ssentongo after the event.
In addition, he congratulated the State of Qatar on the recently concluded 2nd Edition of the Uganda-Qatar Business Forum that took place in October 2025, describing such activities as necessary to translate the bilateral relations between the two countries into tangible economic partnerships.
A release from MoFA states that Mulimba said that in the past decade, Uganda’s exports to Qatar had grown from US$20 million to US$34 million, while Qatar’s exports to Uganda had increased from US$17 million to US$26 million.
Expressing optimism about improving trade statistics, Hon. Mulimba said possible areas for strengthened collaboration included agro-processing, tourism, Manufacturing, Minerals, oil and gas, as well as technological transfer in Science and Innovation.
“With the presence of Resident Ambassadors in both countries, trade volumes between Uganda and Qatar are expected to multiply further,” said Mulimba.
Amb-designate Al Zwaidi confirmed that the Government of the State of Qatar intends to sign a number of MoUs in these fields, as well as in the areas of Diplomatic Consultations.
He pledged to strengthen the already existing bilateral relations further, declaring that the increase of direct flights from Qatar to Entebbe from one (1) to two (2) daily is true testimony that the trade and movement of persons between both countries had improved.
