By Elijah Khisa
Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to accelerate negotiations on bilateral judicial cooperation arrangements aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement followed a high-level bilateral meeting between Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, and his UAE counterpart, H.E. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, on September 29, 2026.
The meeting was held at the VIP Majlis at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on the sidelines of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
During the meeting, Uganda reaffirmed the importance it attaches to the strong and growing Uganda-UAE relationship, including cooperation in justice, security, trade, tourism, investment and migration.
The two sides recognised that the increasing movement of people, businesses, financial resources and assets between the two countries makes effective cross-border criminal justice cooperation increasingly important.
The Ugandan delegation was led by Mao, who is also the Head of Delegation. It included Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, Principal Judge; Amb. Aisa Ismail, Deputy Head of Mission and head of the Uganda Consulate in Dubai; and Hon. Lino Angunzu, Director of Public Prosecutions.
Other members of the Ugandan delegation were Rachel Odoi-Musoke, Senior Technical Advisor, Governance and Security Programme (JLOS) Secretariat at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Vicky Nabisenke, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of International Cooperation; and Fadhil Mawanda, Acting Commissioner, Public International Law and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
The delegation also included Dr Josephine Ekwang Ali, Commissioner for Inspection and Compliance at the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Anne Nyakato, Counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Ashah Nabbanja, First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in the UAE.
The UAE delegation was led by H.E. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, and included H.E. Mubarak Al Neyadi, Undersecretary; H.E. Dr Abdullah Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary; Counsellor Shahla Al Gharib, Legislation Researcher for International Cooperation; Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director of the Minister’s Office; and Shamma Al Hanaee, International Cooperation.
The UAE delegation further included senior representatives from the public prosecution and international cooperation functions, including Counsellor Mohammed Al Hassani, Abu Dhabi Public Prosecutor; Counsellor Ebrahim Al Shemeili of the RAK Public Prosecution; Counsellor Dr Mohammed Sulaiman Al Hammadi of the Dubai Public Prosecution; and Counsellor Abdullah Al Marzouqi, Director of the International Cooperation Department.
