weighted score 5.6 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Uganda
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Uganda-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
6
ILAB lists gold (forced labour), coffee, tea, tobacco, sugarcane (child labour). Child labour prevalent in agriculture. Artisanal gold mining carries significant forced labour risk.
Worker rights & FOA
6
ILO conventions ratified but enforcement limited, especially in informal economy. Freedom of association legally protected but unions face practical constraints. Anti-LGBTQ legislation raises human rights concerns.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Occupational health and safety enforcement limited. Audit access generally possible but audit infrastructure is developing. Informal economy largely outside audit reach.
Food & product safety
5
EU-approved fish processing establishments exist. Coffee export quality standards functional. Food safety infrastructure developing but variable outside export sectors.
Environmental & regulatory
5
EUDR exposure for coffee. Deforestation and biodiversity loss concerns. EACOP pipeline controversial. No active IUU card. Environmental regulation exists but enforcement capacity limited.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI approximately 26/100. High corruption across public institutions. President Museveni in power since 1986 — succession risk. Regulatory capture widespread. Anti-LGBTQ legislation triggered Western sanctions reviews.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EBA provides duty-free, quota-free access to EU for all products except arms. Most favourable EU preference available. No tariff barriers for Ugandan exports.
Non-tariff barriers
5
EUDR due diligence required for coffee. EU Forced Labour Regulation exposure from ILAB listings. Landlocked geography creates practical non-tariff barriers through transit dependency.
Supply chain traceability
7
Multi-tier opacity in agricultural and gold supply chains. Artisanal gold traceability extremely challenging. Coffee traceability improving through certification but gaps remain at farm level.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Child labour
- Child labour is prevalent in Uganda, particularly in agriculture (coffee, tea, tobacco, sugarcane), artisanal gold mining, and domestic service. ILAB lists multiple Ugandan goods produced with child or forced labour.
- Forced labour
- Gold mining is listed by ILAB for forced labour. Artisanal and small-scale mining operations carry significant forced labour risk. Agricultural sectors also show forced labour indicators.
- ILAB listings
- ILAB 2024 lists Uganda for: gold (forced labour), coffee, tea, tobacco, sugarcane (child labour). Multiple goods across agricultural and extractive sectors.
- ILO conventions
- Uganda has ratified all eight ILO fundamental conventions. However, enforcement capacity is limited, particularly in the informal economy which employs the vast majority of workers.
- Worker rights
- Freedom of association is legally protected but unions face practical constraints. Informal economy workers have minimal labour protections. Anti-LGBTQ legislation raises broader human rights concerns.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- EBA status
- Uganda benefits from the EU Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme — duty-free, quota-free access for all products except arms. This is the most favourable EU trade preference available to LDCs.
- EUDR exposure
- Uganda produces coffee (EUDR-regulated commodity). Due diligence statements will be required for coffee imports from Uganda under the EU Deforestation Regulation. Deforestation pressure from agricultural expansion is a documented concern.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. Uganda's ILAB listings for gold (forced labour) and multiple agricultural goods (child labour) create elevated exposure to Article 5 investigations.
- CBAM
- CBAM exposure is minimal — Uganda does not export significant volumes of covered products (steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers) to the EU.
- IUU fishing
- Uganda's freshwater fish exports (Lake Victoria) are significant. EU-approved fish processing establishments exist. No active IUU card but monitoring of Lake Victoria fisheries is ongoing.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Road/rail to Mombasa (Kenya) → Indian Ocean → Suez Canal → EU ports; or to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
- Key transit chokepoints
- Suez Canal, Kenya-Uganda border crossings, Mombasa port capacity
- Main EU destination ports
- Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Mediterranean ports
- Typical transit time
- 30-40 days to Northwest Europe (including overland transit to coast)
- Scope 3 relevance
- Combined overland transit to coast plus long-haul maritime freight generates significant transport emissions. Landlocked geography adds both cost and carbon intensity.