Thank you, Eve.
It is an honor to affix all of you tonight to have a good time this 12 months’s Thanksgiving theme of giving again. Thanksgiving is a distinctly American vacation, and I’m happy that every one of us an come collectively on this Friday evening in Kampala to share a meal of gratitude and reflection.
Looking again on the previous 12 months, I’m personally grateful to have had the privilege of witnessing the impression of American firms in Ugandan communities.
There are so many examples, however I’ll begin with only one actually nice occasion—our U.S. Independence Day celebration this previous July, the place we celebrated the American “Spirit of Volunteerism,” a core worth that helped construct the United States and continues to develop in Uganda with the participation of many nice U.S. firms.
As part of our celebration, we partnered with a number of American firms to carry mentorship and studying to over 1000 college students at St. Peter’s Nsambya Secondary School which is a neighbor of our embassy.
Moreover, by means of ATC’s specific generosity and group engagement, they constructed a brand new laptop lab and a basketball court docket at St. Peter’s. The court docket was even inaugurated with a sport between the scholars and U.S. embassy workers—I cannot say who gained the sport, however youth positively was a bonus!
The outreach, mentoring, and contributions of time and sources by U.S. firms, in addition to alumni of U.S. government-supported change applications, and U.S. embassy workers clearly made a huge impact, and now we have been persevering with the engagement with the scholars over the past a number of months.
I’d like to acknowledge American Tower, Crown Beverages, Nile Breweries/ InBev, Sheraton, Wave, Simplifi, Marsh, and Willis Towers Watson for their zeal and honest partnership in that initiative. Special because of American Tower, who went above and past to actually make an impression for the higher at St. Peters.
Again, this nice instance is only one of many who I’ve seen from U.S. firms and AmCham members over my two-plus years in Uganda.
So to me it’s significantly apt this Thanksgiving to give attention to giving again as AmCham’s theme for the celebration this 12 months.
The spirit of philanthropy just isn’t confined to the United States, but it surely has persistently been American firms and AmChams who set the usual of excellence overseas.
Our corporations and personal residents symbolize and advance important values of accountability, transparency, and company social accountability in all corners of the globe. In that means, all of you function ambassadors in your personal proper, constructing connections between the United States and Uganda. And in so doing, we worth you as companions in job creation, rising prosperity, and showcasing excellence. Thank you!
I had the chance to handle a enterprise summit right here in Kampala in September. Perhaps a few of you had been there. I burdened that not solely do American firms carry the very best quality items and companies to market, you additionally lead with the best requirements. You mannequin the rule of regulation; you use Ugandan youth and also you make investments long run within the native communities of which you’re a part. As a witness to the impression of your corporations, I’m deeply impressed and pleased with your work as champions of company accountability.
I can guarantee you that the U.S. Embassy in Uganda is with you in these efforts. Many of you’ve got requested me up to now months about adjustments in our international help applications. I wish to emphasize that the U.S.-Uganda relationship continues strongly intact and we proceed to be the one largest bilateral contributor and accomplice of Uganda. This is along with our rising commerce and funding relationship that’s creating prosperity, safety, and alternative.
In specific, now we have targeted our diplomatic efforts on selling non-public sector-led development. This is a prime precedence for the Trump Administration, and it couldn’t be extra well timed for our relationship with Uganda and with Africa. Balanced commerce is our purpose.
As our Africa Senior Bureau Official Jonathan Pratt mentioned in September on the UN General Assembly in New York, “The United States stands ready to work with governments and companies to ensure these resources fuel not only U.S. and global markets, but Africa’s own growth and prosperity.” We need our relationship to be centered on mutual respect and mutual prosperity.
Commercial diplomacy is on the coronary heart of our mission to make sure the U.S. non-public sector helps drives financial development between the United States and Uganda.
At the identical time, we stay Uganda’s largest bilateral help accomplice by a long way. It is essential that our Ugandan companions don’t lose sight of that. We proceed to spend money on well being, in safety, in Uganda’s younger folks, and in supporting Uganda’s longstanding coverage of internet hosting refugees in want.
We additionally help the complete spectrum of American corporations to extend their exports and assist modern Ugandan and African corporations increase their investments to the United States to create jobs for Americans and Ugandans. Just this 12 months, we had a report variety of Ugandan firms attend the SelectUSA Summit in Washington DC the place they linked with U.S. firms, suppliers, and alternatives.
We imagine the African continent primed for development amid quickly increasing client markets, diversified and more and more interconnected vitality sectors, and plentiful pure sources.
We see bold authorities applications throughout the area to speed up growth, enhance companies, add worth, and improve infrastructure.
American firms and people firms that do enterprise with the United States are nicely positioned to strengthen and profit from development horizon.
And Embassy workforce and I wish to help your enterprise efforts throughout each sector, with every new know-how, and in every new alternative.
We are wanting to advance American company excellence as a result of we imagine your firms’ targets align with ours. Impact just isn’t measured in revenue margins and inventory costs alone. These are essential company benchmarks to make sure. But firms’ legacies are additionally measured within the impression they’ve within the communities the place you’re employed.
It is that spirit of shared prosperity and innovation that units American and AmCham member firms above the remaining.
To assist spotlight this spirit, we’ll launch a brand new Shared Prosperity marketing campaign main as much as our 250th birthday celebration of U.S. Independence on July 4, 2026 that may showcase the optimistic impression that American funding.
I want to invite you to attach with our financial unit chief Jacob and cultural attaché Lana to debate how one can accomplice with us on this new initiative.
We are additionally very prepared, keen, and wanting to advocate with you on new offers in addition to regulatory adjustments that enhance American enterprise market entry in Uganda and East Africa. And that features telling the nice tales of AmCham members’ work right here.
Now, earlier than I conclude, let me say only a temporary phrase concerning the cherished American custom of Thanksgiving itself. First formally proclaimed by our first American President George Washington in 1789, after which formally set because the final Thursday of November by President Abraham Lincoln, the Thanksgiving Holiday is nearly as previous as our nation. The custom stretches again even farther as a harvest celebration among the many first pilgrims to achieve the brand new world in 1621, an expression of gratitude for God’s generosity, and for a household’s and a group’s efficiently reaching the top of one other farming 12 months.
Just like in Uganda, farming is on the coronary heart of the American story. For these of you who’ve visited the United States, perhaps you’ve got seen the east coast, or the west coast. I believe fewer of you’ve got had the possibility to go to the huge farmland and ranches of the Midwest and the good plains, which is the place I come from. It is likely one of the world’s most fertile and plentiful bread baskets. It produces a lot meals that for many years the United States has been in a position to reply to humanitarian crises and meals insecurity wants world wide with our surplus. It is that this spirit of abundance and generosity, and of giving again, that’s on the coronary heart of the Thanksgiving custom, and that’s the reason it’s so many Americans’ favourite vacation.
But not like in Uganda, within the United States we usually have only one rising season. It often begins runs from March-April to late October, when the climate begins getting too chilly to do a lot. By November, the farm work is coming to an in depth, and the harvest is in, and a chilly winter lies forward.
That is why yearly in late November, folks all throughout our nation will cease work, collect with their households and associates, give thanks, and share a easy harvest meal. Then, the subsequent day they are going to exit and have a good time a bit newer nice American custom, buying on “Black Friday”!
This 12 months, I’m grateful to be right here celebrating and giving thanks with all of you, the AmCham group that’s dedicated to each American and Ugandan excellence.
This 12 months we’ll proceed to spotlight the optimistic transformations you facilitate in Uganda and at home as part of our 250th celebration of American Independence.
By emphasizing the twin impression of our private and non-private endeavors, we will be assured the subsequent 250 years will carry much more blessings!
Congratulations to the AmCham board and the administration workforce for organizing this occasion. Your time and dedication are glorious examples of service and have given us the chance for dialog and conviviality on this most unusual American vacation. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
