Mbale and Guiyang Sign Historic Deal for Sister-City Cooperation

Mbale City, Republic of Uganda and Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China today signed a Letter of Intent to Establish Friendly Exchange and Cooperation Relations, paving the way for a future sister-city partnership.

The Letter of Intent was signed by Her Worship Joyce Matuka Kidulu, the Mayor of Mbale City, and Mr. Wang Hong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guiyang Municipal Committee and Mayor of the Guiyang Municipal People’s Government.

The Ceremony was witnessed by Amb. Judyth Nsababera, Consul General of the Republic of Uganda in Guangzhou and Head of the Ugandan Delegation, and senior officials from both sides.

Amb. Nsababera noted that the engagement was initiated, nurtured and coordinated by the Consulate General from its inception. The Consulate identified strong complementarity between Mbale’s heritage as a source of premium Arabica Coffee and Guiyang’s strengths as an innovation, green development and consumer hub. She underscored that the partnership exemplifies the Consulate’s broader mandate to translate economic diplomacy into tangible commercial, technical and people-to-people cooperation.

In her remarks, Mayor Kidulu delivered a compelling and eloquent pitch for Mbale City as the commercial hub of Eastern Uganda and the heart of Uganda’s Arabica coffee highlands on the slopes of Mount Elgon. She highlighted the City’s gazetted Industrial Park and its forward-looking development model centered on green growth, industrialization and inclusive urban services.

She further showcased Mbale’s rich cultural and natural assets, including the Imbalu ceremony of the Bamasaaba people, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as Mount Elgon National Park, Sipi Falls and the Wanale Ridge. She underscored Mbale’s strategic location on the Northern Corridor and Uganda’s position as a leading coffee exporter with access to the East African Community market of over 300 million people.

Mayor Wang Hong, in a warm and visionary response, highlighted Guiyang’s impressive transformation. He described Guiyang as China’s celebrated Data Valley and National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone, as well as a National Ecological Civilization Demonstration Zone.

He outlined Guiyang’s expanding coffee industry. He noted the strong and natural complementarity with Mbale for mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, agro-processing, tourism and the digital economy.

The Letter of Intent identifies five priority areas of cooperation. These are Smart City and Digital Governance; Industrial Development and Investment; Agriculture and Value Addition, including Coffee; Tourism and Cultural Exchange; and Environmental Sustainability.

The two sides agreed to establish a Joint Working Group within two months of the signing of the Letter of Intent. They also agreed to facilitate a technical exchange visit to Mbale to assess opportunities in the Industrial Park, Coffee value chain and the tourism sector.

The signing formed part of the Ugandan delegation’s working visit to Guiyang. The visit included a highly productive Coffee Trade Promotion and Business Matching Session with the Guiyang Coffee Industry Association.

The delegation comprises of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and staff of the Consulate General of the Republic of Uganda in Guangzhou, who are jointly driving efforts to seek expanded market access for Ugandan coffee in China.

Uganda’s coffee exports to China grew by 224% in FY 2025/2026. Guiyang City boasts a vibrant and rapidly growing coffee culture. This positions Mbale City, as the heart of Uganda’s Arabica highlands, to benefit directly from expanded trade and value-addition linkages.