Jaffer Kapasi OBE, an influential business guru and communities ambassador from the East Midlands has been formally installed as the Honorary Consul General of Uganda.
Mr Kapasi moved from Uganda to the UK in 1972, soon after he settled in Leicester where he now runs his own accountancy firm. In 1997 he was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to business in Leicestershire.
His main responsibilities as Honorary Consul General of Uganda in the Midlands will include building economic, social, cultural and educational bridges, as well as encouraging bilateral trade, investment and exports for mutual benefit, thus adding even greater value to existing links.
Speaking ahead of his signing ceremony, Mr Kapasi said:
“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to represent the Republic of Uganda in the Midlands. There is enormous potential to do so much more for the benefit of both Uganda and the UK and I pledge to encourage individuals, groups and organisations to work together on all fronts to help reach common goals and objectives for the benefit of everyone.”
Mr Kapasi is a Director of East Midlands Chamber which represents Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire Chambers of Commerce. He is also a Director of Asra Housing Group.
Recently, Professor K Sato of Meji University of Tokyo wrote a biography on the life of Mr Kapasi and his various contributions to the British way of life.
Uganda has a population of approximately 37 million people, making it the third largest consumer market in east Africa. There are over one hundred UK companies operating there including Tullow Oil, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank, Unilever, Shell and British Airways.
Bilateral trade in goods between the UK and Uganda exceeded £81.5 million in 2013, with exports to Uganda totalling £66 million. Top UK exports to Uganda include road vehicles, power generating machinery, medicinal and pharmaceutical products and general industrial machinery. VAT is currently set at 18% in Uganda.
Uganda’s President, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, endorsing Mr Kapasi’s honorary role said:
“Jaffer is a longstanding friend of Uganda. He is truly deserving of this honorary role as ambassador for Uganda in the Midlands and I wish him success in his work.”
Her Excellency Professor Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda, High Commissioner of the Republic of Uganda to the UK & Ireland, said:
“I am delighted that Jaffer has accepted to be the Honorary Consul of Uganda in the Midlands. He is a hardworking individual and his contributions to both Uganda and to the UK have been remarkable. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, vast experience and connections which will, I’m confident, add even greater value to all the work that we do at the High Commission in London.”
