The State Minister for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite has asked French cosmetics company, L’Oréal Group to set up a factory in Uganda.
"I want to tell you that you will even get a better mileage if you have your factories here in Uganda because we provide incentives, including land, to facilitate your investment. Uganda is the most peaceful country and the Pearl of Africa. What are you doing in another part of the world? You have to come to the Pearl of Africa. So, I encourage you to take this decision with your board of directors and invest here,"Anite said.
The minister made the plea on Saturday at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel where L’Oréal East Africa, a subsidiary of L’Oréal Group officially relaunched its iconic skincare brand Nice & Lovely onto the Ugandan market.
The minister making a case for investment in Uganda said by setting up a factory , the French group will maximize business opportunities and take advantage of investment incentives.
She mentioned Uganda’s stability and its strategic advantage as a gateway to regional markets as some of the advantages that the company can tap into.
"Not only shall we provide peace and stability, but we will also connect you to the rest of the market in the region," she added.
The minister further noted that Nice & Lovely’s return reflects an improvement in Uganda’s economy and purchasing power.
Doreen Kathambi, the Brand Business Lead at L’Oréal East Africa, speaking at the launch, announced the return of Nice & Lovely to Uganda with a major innovation that skincare enthusiasts will love.
"Nice & Lovely is back in Uganda, bigger and better. As we said, we are painting the town yellow, we are big on innovation, and the current innovation is Nice & Lovely Lemon Extra Lotion. We decided that there's no better way to enter the market than with something new and exciting that everyone will love for their skin," said Kathambi.
She emphasized that the new product is designed to enhance skin glow rather than alter skin tone.
"Lemon Extra is a brightening product. When we say brightening, we don't mean lightening, we don't mean bleaching; we mean enhancing the glow. All the ladies here are glowing and looking lovely, so we want to enhance this and continue to glow together through the body lotion," she added.
Kathambi also described Kampala as a vibrant market, reaffirming their commitment to serving Ugandans with even better products.
"We can't wait to go bigger, do better, and do everything we can to promote beauty in Uganda," she said.
Victoria Karanja, General Manager for L'Oréal East Africa Consumer Products Division said that the brand is here to stay and contribute to the country's economy.
"We are here to invest, we are here to develop the market, we are here to create jobs, and we are here to contribute to the economy," she said.
Karanja highlighted that Nice & Lovely has been in existence for 25 years, positioning itself as an East African product, noting that now under L'Oréal, the brand is committed to delivering high-quality products to the Ugandan market.
"As L'Oréal, we are very consumer-centric, meaning that we gather feedback from consumers to understand what they need and then innovate products based on that. In Uganda, skin tone management is a big topic. Consumers want that glow, so we created a product that delivers exactly that," she explained.