First Conservation And Tourism Investment Forum Hosted In Uganda

Kampala City – the capital of Uganda recently hosted the first investment summit to introduce public private sector partnership in tourism and conservation.

The Giants Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Forum did attract crucial global investors focusing on responsible tourism in Kampala Uganda for a meeting.

The Tourism Investment Forum meeting was held at the Lake Victoria Serena Hotel in Kigo and various private investors were in attendance including development partners, conservationists and tourism operators as well as government officials who were all looking to sell Uganda as a high-end tourism hub while conserving its natural beauty and more importantly its environment.

If you take an effort to embark on a Uganda safari tour, you will discover the uniqueness of this country. With the lowest part at 650 meters above sea level. And the highest point at a remarkable 5,000 meters, in the Rwenzoris where there is snow at its peak. The Uganda tourism sector has grown over the years with over 1.3million tourists coming into the country in 2016 compared to the 700 in the 1980s. Uganda is ready for smart and compelling investment ideas for proper development which should allow visitors to enjoy the country’s unique natural habitat and in turn support the economy and communities in the near future and that’s according to the Uganda President Yoweri Museveni speaking at the very meeting.

The Ugandan government has also ventured in investment incentives, including coming into agreement with chartered aircraft to fly directly into the game parks from neighboring countries for the first time, and the waiving of a range of government levies.

Speaking at the same Forum meeting, Ms. Rosa Malang who is the UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator had this to say about tourism in Uganda “It is an engine for inclusive growth and sustainable development thanks to a focus on conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity; protection of cultural heritage and empowerment of local communities,”. Also stressing that the sector is poised to be an accelerator for the achievement of Uganda’s Vision 2040 that envisions the transformation into an upper middle-income country.

She also used this opportunity to call on participants to ensure that tourism protects the country’s natural environment that is on decline with the forest cover now at 10% while wetlands are at 10.9% of the country’s total land area.

Also in attendance was Evgeny Lebedev, the Patron of the Giants Club conservation initiative, that were the main organizers of the event in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program and the African Wildlife Foundation.

Space for Giants, that administers the Giants Club, together with its associates is already working with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to pick out a number of areas offering scope for commercial tourism enterprise as well as Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for area management. Some of the areas also offer scope for other conservation suited investments such as renewable energy production or livestock.

And some of the sites/areas that have been identified with opportunities include Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, Kalinzu & Kashoya – Kitumi Forest reserves, and Budongo Forests while opportunities for new conservation tourism concessions are obtainable in at least 5 of Uganda’s major national parks take for example Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest side of the country.

The Giants Club is non-governmental organization Space for Giants initiative. With its founding members being presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Gabon and Botswana and it works to unite political leaders with enlightened businesses, philanthropists and conservationists in a bid to protect Africa’s remaining wildernesses.