Uganda moves to own tourism offices, boosts airlines and promotion

Hannington Ashaba, Acting Director of Budget at Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, has told NTV Business reporter Malcolm Musiime that the government plans to end decades of renting office space for the Uganda Tourism Board, moving to owned facilities to cut costs and boost sector efficiency. Speaking at the opening of the FRESPO Expo 2026, Ashaba also said that increased funding for foreign missions is delivering results, driving stronger tourism promotion in high-value markets like Switzerland and Europe, with active participation in events such as FITUR Madrid and Swiss expos to attract premium visitors.

He added that the government is tackling Uganda Airlines’ challenges head-on, prioritizing cargo plane procurement in the next financial year (2026/27), backed by recent parliamentary approval of UGX 422 billion in supplementary funding to expand the fleet for better logistics, exports, and tourism support.