Uganda to host Global Sericulture and Silk Industry Congress in 2025

Kampala | The Executive Committee of the International Sericulture Commission has approved Uganda’s bid to host the International Sericulture and Silk Industry Congress.

The approval was granted on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at the meeting of the Executive Committee Delegates in Bucharest, Romania. Dr. Clet Wandui Masiga, Uganda’s silk expert, entrepreneur, and Executive Director of the Tropical Institute of Development Innovations, spearheaded the bid.

The International Silk Congress is a prestigious event in the Silk Industry that brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers from all over the world to discuss the most recent developments in the international silk trade.

Every two years, a number of silk industry stakeholders convene to host the International Sericulture and Silk Industry Congress. This Congress serves as the sericulture and silk industry’s voice.

The most recent Congress was held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2024, the previous one in Tsukuba, Japan in 2019, and the next one is scheduled for 2025.

The entire silk value chain, comprising government officials, non-governmental organizations, corporate sector participants, development partners, entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, and consumers, among others, discusses the successes, ongoing projects, policy creation, and intervention designs while establishing future directions that are feasible and in line with local and global experiences.

TRIDI, as the host organisation for this prestigious Congress, is looking for support from all stakeholders, including the government and development partners in the sericulture and silk industry. This untapped resource, the sericulture and silk industry, has opened up exciting opportunities for Uganda, and the 2025 Congress will highlight its full potential.

The five-day Congress will showcase and present to various actors, who will be able to visit ongoing support interventions, see various privately owned small to large silk enterprises, evaluate research and development innovations, and facilitate business-to-business linkages.

Also read: TRIDI, the most practical agriculture institute, leads in the national skills competition 

Opportunities will be in importing or buying cocoons, unprocessed, semi-processed, or specialty silk products, or exploring markets for finished products, among others.

Five thousand stakeholders from all over the world and from all sectors of the sericulture and silk industry will gather in Uganda for a variety of activities that will benefit Uganda and beyond.

TRIDI stated that the gathering will increase global demand for Uganda silk, which is already known as U-silk. Other international players are likely to invest in Uganda and establish silk industries to meet global demand.

“The hosting of the congress in Uganda is significant because the country’s arrival at the threshold of major silk industry expansion has been timed to coincide with the congress,” TRIDI added, noting that the country’s silk industry has been steadily growing in recent years.

What makes Congress so important.

Demas Kutos, Research Officer at TRIDI, stated that hosting the congress in Uganda provides opportunities to highlight recent groundbreaking research innovations as well as the country’s transformation into a major producer and exporter of high-quality silk, which has global competitive advantages due to its unique qualities.

“Uganda, with its favourable climate and abundant agricultural resources, provides a unique opportunity for the development of the silk industry. The country has the potential to become a major player in the global silk market, which is currently worth around $18 billion and is expected to grow due to rising demand for silk products in fashion, textiles, and medical applications,” Kutos said.

Convening the Congress in Uganda is a strategic initiative that has the potential to catalyse the growth of the region’s silk industry.

By focusing on key thematic areas, the congress can address current challenges, promote sustainable practices, and strengthen Uganda’s global silk market position.