Embassy of the Netherlands in Uganda

This past Friday our Ambassador Frederieke Quispel, Corinne Abbas, and Koen Blaauw visited the factory of Tunga Nutrition in Kampala. While Tunga Nutrition has been active in Uganda for over 25 years, the animal feed factory in Kampala was opened in March 2022. Tunga Nutrition is a joint venture owned by Kenyan Unga and Dutch Nutreco. In Uganda, you might know their products as Hendrix Nutrition, Selko, or Trouw Nutrition.

During the tour, we got an insight into the full production process, from raw materials to finished products. It was very impressive to see the efficiency of the factory, and the in-house laboratory for testing raw materials and final products. Of the raw materials used by the facility, 80% is sourced from smallholder farmers. Apart from offering complete feed and concentrates, Tunga Nutrition also offers training and resources for farmers in Uganda.

During the visit we also spoke about the challenges for growth, and the need for a stable supply of raw materials from both local and abroad. This aligns with the vision of Tunga’s mother company Nutreco, which is to feed the future. Through various programs, the Embassy of the Netherlands remains a committed partner on the area of food and nutrition security, as well as the economic relations between Uganda and the Netherlands. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to work on these topics.

Thank you to all the staff at the Kampala factory for an insightful visit!

Netherlands-Uganda Trade and Investment Platform

“In time you will not only be the Best Farmers in Uganda, you will be the best farmers in the world.” That is how our Ambassador Frederieke Quispel wished the winners of the Best Farmers Uganda 2025 competition a productive trip ahead. This Saturday, 12 farmers, cooperatives, and agriculture companies will fly to the Netherlands to learn from agriculture experts farming practices.

During the Flag-Off Ceremony yesterday, speeches were held on the potential that Uganda holds to grow in agriculture. Throughout the years, a total of 134 Best Farmers have been awarded a trip to the Netherlands, with several partnerships coming out of the program.

The Netherlands is the second biggest agricultural exporter in the world. Through various programs, the Netherlands contributes to the development of agriculture in Uganda, from smallholder farmers to large companies.

In preparation for the ceremony Ambassador Frederieke Quispel held a luncheon yesterday afternoon on the topic of Ugandan agriculture. With several diplomats in attendance, on the agenda was participation in the Harvest Money Expo, Uganda’s biggest agriculture expo.

Together with our fellow sponsors, KLM, Koudijs, DFCU, and New Vision, and of course the farmers, we had a great afternoon. Once the farmers return at the end of next week, we will of course share more about how the trip went and what they learned in the Netherlands!

PS: We are now also on Instagram, have a look here for a behind-the-scenes video of the Flag-Off Ceremony: https://www.instagram.com/p/DY62rtNMAgT/

The Research & Study Fair originally scheduled for Thursday 4 June 2026 has been postponed in agreement with the Ministry of Education and Sports Uganda and Makerere University.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

A new date will be announced soon.🙏🇪🇺🫶🇺🇬

Introducing two new colleagues!

Irene Kraanen We have arrived! 🚙 My name is Irene and I will be temporarily replacing our dear colleague Anne Borren at the Embassy during her maternity leave. For the coming six months, I will be responsible for her full portfolio as policy officer migration, climate, youth and public diplomacy.

Maybe to your surprise, my partner Jasper and I didn't reach Kampala the conventional way.... In the past 15 months we have driven from the Netherlands all the way down to Mozambique and up to Uganda, crossing West, Central, Southern and East Africa by car!

Our goal with this journey is to show a different side to Africa and Development Cooperation to a Dutch audience through my initiative Buiten de Bubbel (Beyond the Bubble). For this purpose, we visit development cooperation projects, embassies, social enterprises, (Dutch) multinationals and incredible individuals in the field of international cooperation in 30+ African countries.

After all this exploring & living in our car, I am excited to settle down in Kampala and dive deeper into the cooperation between the Netherlands and Uganda. Before this journey I was also working for the MFA in The Hague in the field of development cooperation.

The following might not come as a surprise, but in my free time I love camping and exploring countries for both their culture & nature, oh, and I am also a food lover. Travel tips in Uganda are very welcome & I would love to hear your favourite spot in Kampala for a Rolex (I'm a fan).

Cécile Reinkingh: Excited to spend six weeks working at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala! A great opportunity to experience the Embassy’s work from up close and a valuable complement to my work back at the Ministry in The Hague.

I am joining the SRHR team, where the work is incredibly diverse and no two days are the same. The combination of policy, local context, collaboration with partners and real-world impact makes this an especially interesting experience. I have already had the opportunity to join a field visit to several projects related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence and access to justice, which makes the experience even more insightful.

Outside of work, I love being outdoors, running and exploring new places, so being in Uganda is an adventure in more ways than one. Looking forward to learning a lot over the coming weeks and contributing where I can.

Did you know that 40% of mental health issues develop before 14 years old?

Mental health challenges occur in all layers of society, however both children and refugees are disproportionately affected by a range of mental illnesses, such as chronic stress, PTSS, depression & anxiety.
The Refugee Law Project of the School of Law, Makerere University, funded by the Netherlands Embassy in Uganda, is addressing mental health care and psychosocial support under the Securing Refugee Host Relations through Enhanced Protection programme. In this programme we incorporate the most vulnerable of all: forcibly displaced children. The interventions are focused on healing trauma, building confidence and restoring hope. With the right mental health care and psychosocial support, we can prevent generational trauma & break the cycle of violence, fear, and depression.

Dr Juliet Nakku, Executive Director of the Butabika Mental Health Hospital, gave a keynote speech this week where she highlighted that mental health is the urgent need that is often invisible and underlined the importance of mental health care specifically for displaced children. This was during a national dialogue on mental health and psychosocial support for children in displacement. Restoring the mental health of refugee and Ugandan children is a vital pillar for their future, the future of Uganda & the future of generations to come.

Discover study, scholarship and research opportunities in Europe at the EU–Uganda Research and Study Fair 🇪🇺🇺🇬

📍 Makerere University, Freedom Square, Kampala
🗓️ 4 June 2026 | ⏰ 08:30–17:00
🎟️ Entrance: Free of charge

For secondary and university students, academics, researchers and young professionals interested in Europe: meet EU Member States, explore scholarships, mobility and research collaboration, and get practical tips on applications and careers.

👉 Register: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/1151c3ca-4da4-681d-859c-e28d0324cc58

🇪🇺🫶🇺🇬

Last Friday the Embassy team participated in our quarterly vitality activity to improve our mental and physical health.
And what better way to improve your mental health than with some good comfort food? 🌯

The activity: a full training in making Rolex from scratch, the same way street vendors do. From making the chapati's to rolling the Rolex and of course eating our own creations. We didn't only work on our vitality that day but also learned more about the Ugandan (food) culture.

Thank you for great day team! 💪🏼

NIEUW REISADVIES UGANDA

Er is een nieuw reisadvies voor Uganda gepubliceerd. Lees het reisadvies via: https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/reisadvies/uganda

Om op de hoogte te blijven wanneer het reisadvies verandert of bij (dreigende) crisis: Meld u aan voor de Informatie service. https://informatieservice.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/

Reisadvies Uganda | Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken | NederlandWereldwijd Het reisadvies voor Uganda van het Nederlandse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. Voor de beste voorbereiding op uw reis.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala will be closed on 12 and 14 May due to public holidays in Uganda and the Netherlands, respectively.

Last week, our Head of Development Cooperation Bouwe-Jan Smeding, and colleagues Adokorach Judith and Cécile Reinkingh, were in Kitgum and Lamwo to attend the launch of the Kitgum High Court Video Conferencing Facility. The launch was held together with Hon Justice Phillip Willebrord Mwaka and Ms. Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, UNDP Resident Representative for Uganda. The Netherlands supports the programme under Spotlight Uganda 2.0 with a contribution of 8 million USD. Co-funded with the EU, this facility contributes to strengthening the justice system and will increase access to justice for all, including for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

During this visit, our team spoke with community beneficiaries of the Spotlight program. The conversations highlighted the impact on not only individuals, but also the broader system of health and justice service delivery. Community testimonies revealed change is happening in social norms that perpetuates gender inequality and gender-based violence. While there are still significant steps to be made, the visit showed that with continued efforts on prevention and effective response change is possible.

A stop over at the Barefoot Law box in Paicho, Gulu demonstrated the importance of access to justice. The mobile facility removes the obstacles that come with reaching rural and hard to reach populations. The visit brought important insights, and the leadership of Palabek Refugee expressed their appreciation for the Dutch contributions to improve access to justice, directly improving livelihoods. We would like to thank everyone that played a part in making this visit happen!

📷 UNDP Uganda