IRISH BUSINESSES hope to capitalise on a visit by Uganda’s high commissioner in London to Ireland this week.

Joan Rwabyomere, who arrived in Dublin yesterday, will hold a series of meetings with government officials and businesses.

As well as meeting representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Bord Bia, Ms Rwabyomere will visit a number of Irish food companies, including Bewley’s, Batchelors and Country Crest.

The visit is being organised by Traidlinks, a non-profit organisation that aims to foster business and enterprise links between Ireland and Uganda.

According to Michael Carey, chairman of Traidlinks, the purpose of the visit is to further the business partnership between Ireland and Africa.

The high commissioner, whose diplomatic remit includes Ireland as well as Britain, has particular interest in developing partnerships in the fields of agriculture and tourism, he said. “Africa holds huge opportunity for business development, particularly in the agri-food sector,” he said.

The visit of Ms Rwabyomere coincides with Africa week across Ireland (Africa Day is on Friday). On Wednesday, the Ugandan high commissioner will attend a conference at Trinity College on the theme of agriculture and trade, entitled Scaling Up Agriculture.

The conference will be addressed by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney who will outline various agri-food initiatives being undertaken by Irish companies and agencies in East Africa.

Earlier this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Agriculture launched a €2 million agri-food development fund which aims to encourage private sector investment in Africa.