Uganda’s total exports to neighbouring South Sudan are estimated to have reached $700 million in 2026, marking a substantial jump from the $490 million recorded in 2024. The significant growth highlights the deepening economic ties between the two East African nations as both governments move to solidify cross-border trade relationships.
Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the upcoming Uganda-South Sudan Business Forum and Exhibition scheduled for October 14 in Kampala, Charles Ssentongo, Permanent Secretary at Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that technical teams are currently finalizing official trade data to confirm the exact end-of-year figures.
According to Ssentongo, the impressive increase reflects sustained government-to-government diplomacy combined with a resurgence of private-sector interest in expanding trade across the northern border.
“If you look at 2019, we were exporting, and by 2024, we were at 490 [million dollars],” Ssentongo noted. “Now, we are finalizing data collection, and I think at the meeting we are going to discuss it. We shall be able to give you the exact figures, but our estimate is that, right now, we are trading at around 700 million dollars in terms of exports to South Sudan, which is a big leap from 490 in 2024.”
South Sudan remains one of Uganda’s most crucial export destinations in the region. Primary Ugandan goods flowing across the border include grain and milling products, sugar, cement, iron and steel, processed foods, and beverages. In return, South Sudan supplies Uganda with key commodities, including scrap metals and processed fish.
Despite the upward trade trajectory, official trade delegations acknowledge that commercial operators still face major operational bottlenecks. Ssentongo highlighted persistent structural challenges, such as severe delays at primary border crossings, cumbersome customs clearance protocols, and deficit transport infrastructure, all of which elevate transit costs and erode profit margins for cross-border traders.
These challenges will form the core agenda of the second edition of the Uganda-South Sudan Business Forum and Exhibition on October 14. Building on the groundwork established during the inaugural forum held in Juba in July 2022, the Kampala summit will gather policymakers, customs officials, and business executives to address border congestion, harmonize trade policies, and leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
