The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry agreed to construct Kidepo International Airport near Kidepo National Park and construct tourist hotels within the game park to boost the tourism sector and the economy of Uganda. 

Uganda has signed a pact with a business association from the United Arab Emirates to build a new international airport, said a statement from President Yoweri Museveni’s office on Friday, June 21, 2024

The MOU was signed between the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Works and Transport and Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry agreed to construct Kidepo International Airport near Kidepo National Park and construct tourist hotels within the game park to boost the tourism sector and the economy of Uganda. 

This project will be the third international airport for the East African nation, furthering the UAE’s economic presence beyond its investments in renewable energy and the oil and gas sectors.

The UAE’s Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry will undertake the construction of the airport, which will be situated just outside Kidepo National Park in northeastern Uganda, near the Kenyan border. The statement from Museveni’s office did not disclose the project’s cost.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Hon. Tom Butime, instead of international tourists arriving at Entebbe Airport and driving to Kidepo National Park, which is hundreds of miles away, they will land directly at Kidepo International Airport.

Hon. Tom Butime explained that tourists can then go to the national park, drive through Kitgum to Gulu, cross the Nile if they wish, and go to Murchison Falls National Park. 

“The tourists will then drive on tarmac to Fort Portal, Kibaale, Semuliki, Rwenzori, Queen Elizabeth National Park, then to Mbarara to Lake Mburo National Park, and back to Kampala,” said Minister of Butime.

Construction is set to begin in August, 2024 according to Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, chairman of the Sharjah business body. Upon completion, Kidepo International Airport will be Uganda’s second-biggest airport after Entebbe.

The new airport aims to boost tourism by attracting visitors to the 1,442-square-kilometer (557-square-mile) Kidepo National Park, renowned for its lions, giraffes, buffaloes, and other big game.

President Museveni welcomed the signing of the MOU between Uganda and the Chamber. He was also happy to note that Uganda and the Gulf countries have strengthened relations that were not there in the past.  He added that there is a lot of potential for investment between Uganda and the Gulf countries, which should be explored. 

The move is seen as a great step in Uganda’s tourism industry, which was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the sector to its knees due to total lockdowns by countries around the world.

According to the 2023 tourism industry performance report, international tourist arrivals reached 1.2 billion visitors in 2023, up 56.5 percent from 2022 (814,508).

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s international tourism recovered 82.6% of its pre-pandemic levels (-17.4% versus pre-pandemic year 2019). This means that 82.6% of international tourists who visited Uganda in 2019 have returned.

To enhance the experience of foreign tourists in the country and attract more international visitors, the government has embarked on the rehabilitation of roads leading to Uganda’s tourist attractions, especially the national parks.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding was also witnessed by Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport, Hon. Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, the State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, H.E. Abdalla Hassan Alshamsi, and the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Uganda.