Museveni Receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Uganda’s Tourism Sector

What the report says

Nile Post reported that President Yoweri Museveni has been given the Uganda Tourism Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in supporting Uganda’s tourism industry, including conservation, investment promotion and sector growth. The award was presented at the association’s Annual Tourism Banquet in Kampala, an event attended by tourism stakeholders, government officials and development partners.

Museveni did not receive the award in person. According to the report, his daughter, Diana Kyaremera Museveni, accepted it on his behalf from Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. In a message read at the event, Museveni thanked the association and said tourism remains a strategic part of Uganda’s economy. He also credited private operators for investments in hotels, tour businesses, conservation work and marketing Uganda as a destination.

The report said Museveni used the occasion to reassure tourists and investors following an Ebola outbreak, saying Uganda had contained it and was in the required 42-day monitoring period before being declared Ebola-free. State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Suzan Nakawuki described tourism as important for jobs, foreign exchange and community livelihoods, and urged foreign missions to reconsider travel advisories she said could discourage visitors.

The banquet is used by the Uganda Tourism Association to recognise contributions to the sector and to encourage partnerships. More broadly, tourism is a major area of government and private-sector attention in Uganda because it links wildlife, hospitality, transport, conservation and local employment.