Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has partnered with Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) to market the 600MW Karuma HyrdoPower Dam and the 183MW Isimba HydroPower Dam as superstructure tourism products.
Isimba which was commissioned on 21st March 2019 and Karuma which is expected to be commissioned June next year are all owned by the Government of Uganda and managed by UEGCL.
Lilly Ajarova, the UTB Chief Executive Officer and Daudi Migereko, the Board Chairman signed on behalf of UTB while Dr Eng. Harrison Mutikanga, the UEGCL Chief Executive Officer and Proscovia Margaret Njuki, the power Board Chairperson signed on behalf of the power generation company.
“This MoU marks the beginning of an important journey for Uganda. When brought to fruition, the successful development of Karuma HPP and Isimba HPP into tourism sites will further diversify our tourism portfolio and therefore contribute to our core objectives i.e., sustainably increasing the volume (numbers) and value (earnings) of tourism to Uganda and by extension, Ugandan households, and livelihoods, through the creation of jobs and increased tax revenue’’.
“The diversification and promotion of tourism products beyond wildlife tourism to include among others, religious, cultural, culinary (food) and now infrastructure tourism, is very important to us as a sector and certainly as UTB. That is why, in our Strategic Plan 2020/21-2024/25 – UTB has prioritised collaborating with tourism site owners, the private sector and other MDAs to develop and package diversified tourism products to prolong the length of stay at a destination, thereby increasing tourism earnings,” said Ajarova.
Dr. Eng. Harrison Mutikanga, speaking on behalf of UEGCL said that the MoU is in line with UEGCL’s Five Year Strategic Plan (2018 -2023) that among others focuses on the key objective of enhancing its business portfolio.
He intimated that utilization of the vast hydropower assets as a Tourism product will go a long way in unlocking the infrastructure tourism potential in Uganda. This is premised on the fact that the hydropower stations have unique features both on the surface and underground.
“As UEGCL, we pledge total commitment to the partnership,” said Mutikanga.
Daudi Migereko said that the MoU is part of UTB’s strategic cooperation agenda with key public, private and non-profit agencies and organisations whose work has a direct impact on tourism.
“In line with this partnership strategy, UTB has already inked a number of MoU’s with agencies such as Uganda Airlines, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) to promote Brand Destination Uganda. Other than the government, UTB has severally collaborated with the private sector, cultural and religious institutions to develop, package, profile and market several tourism attractions and assets to the domestic market,” he said.