Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is slowly and steadily turning into a one-stop centre for international summits and conferences.
In January alone, Uganda has already hosted the 27th Session of Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference (CSPOC2024) at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo right on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The cool breeze from the lake, coupled with the cultural entertainment and traditional dances presented to the guests could only leave them asking for more.
The Commonwealth countries have a combined population of 2.4 billion people and having their representatives hosted in Uganda is a big plus for the east African country. As soon they return home, they will have various stories to tell the legislators and senators they lead about the amazing things in Uganda.
Commenting about the entertainment for her guests, Speaker Anita Among said: “We treated our esteemed guests to a rich cultural experience at Ndere Cultural Centre, showcasing our rich cultural heritage and diversity. Each of our cultures has a unique attribute that we are proud to showcase to the world.”
After meeting the Speaker of Singapore, Seah Kian Peng, Among was impressed, saying: “Singapore continues to be an inspirational country for emerging economies, and our Parliaments should deepen ties with anticipated dividends on tourism and trade in mind.”
“Uganda’s fruits and dairy industry produces in abundance and could supply Singapore. We also need to explore technological exchanges for the mutual benefits of our two countries,” she added.
“I agree with him that commonwealth parliaments should collaborate despite differences in value systems, and differences in opinion should be negotiated with mutual respect to allow member states focus on the bigger picture, which is the economic prosperity of the commonwealth,” Among implored.
Her comments resonate with the country’s pursuance of an export policy targeting markets in the US, UK, Balkans, Asia, Africa and the East African Community.
CSPOC came shortly after the Nyege Nyege Festival, which attracted between 15,000 and 20,000 fans at the shores of River Nile, another important tourism site in the country.
In between Nyege Nyege and CSPOC, one Ugandan chef, Mama D, shattered the global record for cooking the longest. Mama D cooked for close to 150 hours and is currently under review for the World Guinness Book of Records.
As CSPOC ended, the organizing committee for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+China summits was busy making onsite visits to ensure that all well for the upcoming events later this month.
So far, the Speke Resort Convention Centre for the summits, also situated next to Lake Victoria has been completed as well as the expansion of Entebbe International Airport.
After the NAM and G77+China summits, Uganda will take over the chairpersonship for both. This will give the country a chance to lobby member countries for a bloc vote when it comes to deciding some key international issues.
And this is not all! Come 2027, Uganda will be co-hosting the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) together with Kenya and Tanzania. AFCON is the continent’s biggest soccer tournament.
With all these big events happening in Uganda, where peace continues to prevail and tourism gets booming every other day, the country should prepare for more investors and visitors. The country will also be looking to start commercial oil production by 2025 so more opportunities will be available for both foreign and local investors.
