LoP questions MP Mapenduzi’s intentions to have Zaake removed from Parliamentary Commission

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February 22, 2022

Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) who doubles as Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator Mathias Mpuuga has questioned Gulu West Member of Parliament Ojara Martin Zaake from the Parliamentary Commission Mapenduzi’s intentions seeking for removal of Mityana Municipality MP Francis.

Last week, Mapenduzi moved a motion seeking for the eviction of Zaake from the commission. The mission is seconded by Amolatar Woman MP Atim Agnes Apea the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Soroti West MP (Independent) Jonathan Ebwalu and Busia MP Geoffrey Macho (Independent).

Earlier today, the four complaint MPs appeared before Parliament’s Rules Committee chaired by legislator Abdu Katuntu to present a formal complaint against Zaake. The group accuses Zaake of insulting the integrity of Parliament after he last week took to social media and used offensive language to express his dissatisfaction with the Deputy Speaker’s statement regarding his alleged torture.

The legislators argue that Zaake’s conduct when he attacked Deputy Speaker Anita Among on social media did not only denigrate the integrity of Parliament but was also a breach of Rule 84 and 85 and paragraph 5 of the Code of Conduct of MPs.

Speaking at parliament, Mpuuga questioned Mapenduzi’s intentions noting that as the LoP, the MP didn’t consult him about the motion.

“I have not met the Mapenduzi to appraise him on his intention for the motion, and he has not sought me to advise him on his motivation, but I agree it should be a concern for the unit of the opposition. I would be the last person to condemn anybody unheard. I haven’t heard from Mapenduzi, but his actions are disturbing. This is the very reason I want to find his motivation. He needs to be listened to and understood,” Mpuuga said.

Being the Chairperson, Local Government Accounts committee, a position he was appointed to by the major opposition party in the parliament, National Unity Platform (NUP), Mapenduzi was not expected to go against fellow opposition members and Zaake in particular.

Mpuuga said: “Violations of Human Rights have no color. It would be an act of siding with the oppressor if members of the ruling party don’t pick books for members in their constituencies to write their complaints.”

Zaake is tomorrow expected to appear before the Committee to defend himself.

Meanwhile, Mpuuga revealed that they have so far collected 81 signtures aimed at moving a motion to censure the Minister of Security Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Jim Muhwezi claiming that he abdicated his responsibility and that has resulted into forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, continued torture.

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Understanding Uganda’s refreshed tourism destination brand, Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa

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Guest Writer

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February 22, 2022

By Lilly Ajarova

On 21^st January 2022, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the Official Government of Uganda’s tourism marketing and regulatory agency launched our long-awaited tourism destination brand, Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa.

The refreshed brand; Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa, which was officially unveiled by H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is a 2-in-1 expression of the diversity and richness of Uganda’s tourism attractions and an invitation to both Ugandans at home and the world to discover and experience the pearl.

The brand is a product of combined public and private sector stakeholders’ dedication to collectively identifying, packaging and ultimately communicating and delivering lifetime and unforgettable experiences to our visitors.

Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa acknowledges and seeks to differentiate Uganda as a destination of multiple experiences in one unique place and therefore position us as the most competitive destination in Africa and the world to tourists and tourism investors alike.

At the core of this new brand, Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa, there are three important elements, namely:

THE PEARL OF AFRICA: This is the brand essence; the soul of the brand. This is our legacy as a country that is deeply rooted both in history and the present. Pearls are an expression of something of great rarity and worth and therefore, Pearl of Africa re emphasises the rare depth, beautiful range, and precious variety of the attractions in Uganda. It underlines the worth; the value and by extension, the high return on investment that this rarity and uniqueness presents to tourists and by extension, to tourism investors looking to maximise value in a destination.

EXPLORE UGANDA: This is the call to action. Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa is an invitation to our tourists- both domestic, regional and international to rediscover the magnificence of the Pearl. We are reminding the world that the best way to experience Destination Uganda is to savour its pleasures slowly.

Do not rush.

We are telling the world that Uganda is not just a destination for travellers, but rather a journey of multiple experiences, fused in one destination. It is a reminder that Uganda offers something for everyone- young and old; luxury, midrange, and low budget travellers; thrill-seeking and adrenaline junkies to relaxing and romantic getaways; group trips to private holidays.

Explore Uganda is an invitation to go beyond merely visiting to indulge and spoil themselves. It is an invitation to delve into; to deep-dive; to discover and rediscover- the depth, range and variety of attractions and experiences that abound in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.

That is why we adjusted the previous call to action- Visit Uganda and replaced it with Explore Uganda. Visiting Uganda did not do justice to the Pearl of Africa.

Explore Uganda, fits very well within our core mission to increase not just the numbers of tourist arrivals, but also both the length of stay and subsequently the value of spend and then the jobs created.

ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME: This is the brand value proposition or what we want stakeholders to think about destination Uganda every time they think of us. It is the reason to believe it is the why; the justification of why they should Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. It is also a reminder to our Ugandan service providers of what should be delivered to the customer, every time.

So, Adventure of a Lifetime seeks to emphasize that Uganda, is a fusion of all that is rare, precious and beautiful in Africa.

WHAT IS A BRAND/ BRAND IDENTITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Uganda is and has always been known as the Pearl of Africa, so what exactly was the rebranding about? Why is it important and how can everyone get involved?

Yes, it is true Uganda has always been beautiful— beautiful beyond measure.

Unlike many countries on the continent and indeed the world, Uganda is a destination that is not only packed with everything rare, precious and beautiful in Africa but these resources are also concentrated in an even smaller geographical area. This creates higher value for money and or return on investment because tourists experience more variety and diversity on any one itinerary/safari than anywhere else on the continent.

This is why over and above our Pearl of Africa credentials, amongst many other niche travel and tourism circles, it is not uncommon to hear Uganda often described as a “birding paradise in the heart of Africa”; “the primate capital of Africa” and amongst the youthful travellers’ segment, Kampala is known as the ‘Entertainment Capital of East Africa’.

With all the above attractions- it is not only the tourists that are spoilt for choice- but even for the various players in the tourism sector especially us as the national tourism agency as well as for the thousands of the tourism private sector players, there was a lack of clarity and consistency on, if Uganda is the Pearl of Africa- what are the different crystals that make up the Pearl?

Why is this shared understanding important?

Uganda’s tourism industry, like the rest of the global tourism industry, is at its basic, made up of 5 As, namely:

1. ATTRACTIONS (natural or man-made)

2. ACCESSIBILITY (how to get to the attractions)

3. ACCOMMODATION (should visitors need to stay overnight and longer to enjoy more)

4. AMENITIES (enablers and enhancers of the tourist experience en route to and at the destination).

5. AWARENESS— the maximising, amongst both internal and external stakeholders of knowledge about the above attractions, accessibility accommodation and amenities. It is about unpacking the other 4As in ways that position Uganda as the most competitive destination for an adventure of a lifetime, are relevant and or meet the tourists’ preferences. Awareness is about creating a shared stakeholder understanding of destination Uganda as the best destination for their present and possibly future travel needs.

It is therefore mission-critical that there is a shared understanding and therefore harmonised messaging of all the multiple experiences that destination Uganda is, into a consistent, credible, authentic and trusted promise and value proposition that tourists and the travel trade are not only willing to buy into but are happy and confident to recommend to their friends and family and their customers, we needed to refresh our brand.

A brand, at its basic,is a promise and the feelings and or perceptions this promise elicits and/ evokes from the customer.

For Destination Uganda, to build a great brand; to move from being a destination that not only promises an adventure of a lifetime, to becoming a destination that consistently delivers this lifetime experience, but there must also be a mutually shared value proposition by all of Uganda’s tourism ecosystem and a shared commitment to deliver this proposition to all our visitors all the time, at all the touchpoints. This consistency in understanding and delivering a single-minded value proposition is important for increasing not only the arrivals of tourists, but it is also critical for increasing tourist satisfaction, increasing length of stay and therefore tourist spending per trip. All these combined, will then stimulate more investment in the sector, create more jobs and therefore increase income at the household level and the national level in the form of Foreign Direct Investment and taxes.

This is the holy grail of it all— this is the strategic importance of the destination rebranding and the refreshed destination brand.

The new brand sits at the core of our Corporate Purpose as UTB,i.e., to “Sustainably Promote Uganda as a Competitive Tourism Destination for Inclusive Development” by “sustainably increasing the volume and value of tourism in Uganda.”

This itself is not an end, but rather a core strand to meeting Uganda’s broader vision of transforming Uganda from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country by increasing household incomes and the quality of life of Ugandans.

CONCLUSION

We are very excited about the new Destination Brand and what it heralds for our tourism sector and by extension our country Uganda.

We do believe it will make us stand out in the marketplace and the minds of customers. How well we sustainably convert that into sustainable wins in the hearts and eventually the wallets of tourists, remains a lifetime pursuit and the individual work of each of us and the millions of Ugandans out there.

I urge us all, to each of us in our respective capacities―citizens, the private sector, the government and friends of Uganda the world over, to each do our best to deliver a lifetime experience to our tourists.

But we cannot sell a promise that we have not lived by ourselves, I invite every Ugandan to make it a point to Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa first and while at it, use every legitimate means available to them to tell this powerful story of the Pearl of Africa.

PROMOTING TOURISM TOGETHER!FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.

Lilly Ajarova is the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB)

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Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa – The new destination brand represents a new dawn in Uganda’s tourism sector

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Guest Writer

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February 22, 2022

By Daudi Migereko

The 21st of January 2022 marked a new beginning in the chapter of restarting and rebuilding what was previously a thriving tourism sector in Uganda. It shall be noted that before the pandemic unfolded globally in late 2019 and made landfall in Uganda in March 2020, Uganda’s tourism sector was on a positive and promising trajectory.

The unveiling of our new brand — Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa was among others an effort to revive tourism following the effects of the global pandemic. The unveiling function was presided over by His Excellency the President of Uganda; Yoweri K. Museveni. And as a followed action, this has been followed by tourism stakeholder organizations meeting chaired by Hon Tom Butime; Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities aimed at having a harmonized message and approach to ensure optimal gain from our new brand. Indeed, several other interactions, at all levels, in the sector will be taking place to ensure buy-in and pursuance of the things that will make our brand stand out sustainably.

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), working with both public and private sector stakeholders, supported growth in tourist arrivals from 844,000 in 2008/09 to 1,500,000 in 2018/19 a growth of over 78%, which is slightly above global growth rates of 63%. This translated into a 171% growth in tourism revenue earnings from USD590 million to US$1.6 billion in the same period. Growth in trust levels of destination Uganda translated into increased investments in the sector creating 667,600 jobs or 6.3% of the country’s formal employment. In total, the tourism sector accounted for 7.7% of Uganda’s GDP.

This growth, was on one part, driven by Uganda’s unique depth, range and variety of tourism assets — from the highest mountains to the deepest and or largest lakes to endless savannas, impenetrable forests, a warm people culture and everything in between.On the other hand, was a hard-working, innovative and resilient private sector that put in their all to create iconic experiences for our visitors, taking advantage of the peace and security theNRM government had established in the country.

Over the years, Uganda has grown a number of credible, capable and well-regulated tourism sector players across the entire tourism chain. These include tour operators, travel agents, safari guides, hoteliers and community tourism groups. It is these women and men of the private sector that work 24/7 to deliver unforgettable adventures of a lifetime that have now become synonymous with Destination Uganda. Thanks to them, today, it is no longer necessary to go through international middlemen to book an experience of a lifetime in Uganda.

We have also witnessed significant investments into creating a range of quality accommodation facilities with a mix of international hotel chains, regional brands as well as home-grown brands. They consist of a wide mix of luxury, mid-range, budget and value hotels, resorts, and safari lodges both in the urban areas and in the countryside where most of Uganda’s nature and wildlife tourism assets are located.

Some of the international and regional chains operating in Uganda include Serena (Aga Khan Network), Marriott International Inc (Sheraton Hotel and Protea brands); Hilton Worldwide (Hilton Garden Inn); Louvre Hotels Group (Golden Tulip Canaan brand); Latitude Hotels (Latitude 0˚ Degrees) and Onomo Hotels (Onomo Hotels Kampala),Marasa Africa, Mada Hotels and Volcanoes, to mention but a few. The Dubai Expo is also introducing new hotel brands and tourism networks on our market.

But perhaps much more important to us as UTB, we are delighted to report that about 75% of the hotel/hospitality establishments in the country are owned by private local investors. Today, there are several made-in-Uganda award-winning home-grown hospitality brands such as the Speke Hotels Group, Marasa Group, Uganda Lodges, Imperial Group; Hotel Africana, Mestil, Great Lakes Safaris, Wild Places Africa, Geo Lodges, Uganda Exclusive Camps & Lodges, Brovad and Crystal Safaris Group, SNH Group , to mention but a few.

Thanks to all the private sector players, Destination Uganda is emerging as a solid and most-preferred destination.

A 2019 Uganda Tourist Expenditure and Motivation Survey (TEMS) done by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, found that 51% of the visitors were visiting Uganda, for the second time or more, and more than 6 in 10 (60 per cent) of visitors to Uganda reported they were most likely to return to Uganda. More than 8 in 10 visitors (80 percent) reported a high likelihood of recommending Uganda to their friends and family as a place to explore/ visit. More than 7 in 10 visitors (70 percent) were satisfied with the facilities and amenities provided by our service providers, indicating improved standards and quality of services.

Uganda has also won several accolades and recognitions such as the National Geographic Travelers Cool List for 2019; Fodor’s Travel, Annual Go List; New York Times Best Seller’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die’’ and CNN ranked our Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Kidepo National Park as some of the “the most beautiful places around the world.”

While we all agree that Uganda is one of the most beautiful and endowed countries; with a diverse range of everything rare, precious and beautiful in Africa, we are equally bothered that our market share is way below our potential.

From our extensive review and research, we discovered that one of the major challenges we faced as a destination, even before the pandemic, was the lack of a unified Destination Brand Identity. Indeed, the industry had been yearning for the same for quite a while.

Yes, we have all the attractions, a wide range of hospitality facilities and there are various efforts to build and improve the stock of tourism infrastructure and the supporting amenities, but if we do not, work together, to create clarity on what we stand for as a destination and then work consistently as a sector to shout this on top of every mountain and in every valley around the world, we can only get very far.

Our brand promise, straightforwardly tells the world that we are a destination worth more than simply a visit. That we are a destination that offers so much more; a destination worth exploring, delving deeper into to discover/ rediscover that range, depth and variety of everything rare and precious on the continent—An adventure of a lifetime!

The rebranding is not merely for its own sake- but rather it is core to UTB’s Post COVID 19 Business Recovery Plan 2020, itself part of the broader UTB Strategic Plan (FY 2020/21 – 2024/25). The plan seeks to “Sustainably Promote Uganda as a Competitive Tourism Destination for Inclusive Development” by “sustainably increasing the volume and value of tourism in Uganda.”

Under this plan, UTB is pursuing 5 major objectives, namely:

i) Increasing tourist arrivals

ii) Increasing investment and job creation in the tourism sector

iii) Increasing the competitiveness of the tourism destination

iv) Improving collection and access to tourism information

v) Improving internal efficiency and effectiveness

From the above objectives, UTB, expects, by 2024/25 to be working with all stakeholders to build and deliver to the market, tourism experiences that will help Uganda to:

a. Recover from the impact of the pandemic and reach the pre-pandemic levels of USD 1.45 billion and grow that further to USD 1.862 billion

b. Recover the contribution of tourism to total employment to pre-pandemic levels of 667,600 jobs (6.3% of total employment)

c. Increase inbound tourism revenues per visitor from USD1,036 to USD1,500

d. Grow the average number of international tourist arrivals from core markets of the U.S, Europe, Middle East, China and Japan to 225,300 tourists

e. Increase the proportion of leisure to total tourists from 20.1% to 30%

f. Increase the number of direct flight routes to Europe, Middle East and Asia to 30

This sits within the Third National Development Plan (NDP III) 2020/21 – 2024/25 goals to increase tourism contribution to GDP from 7.3% in 2020/21 to 8.5% by 2024/25 and increase the contribution of tourism to total employment from 6.3% to 8.5% in the same period.

I invite all our public and private stakeholders to embrace our new destination brand- Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa because its success will create shared prosperity across the board— both within our sector and beyond. During the Covid period, Ugandans have been able to demonstrate unprecedented love for domestic tourism. We need to push this love to greater heights. This will make it easier to market Destination Uganda to both domestic and foreign tourists.

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Promoting Tourism Together!

Daudi Migereko is the Chairman of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB)

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MP Ssegirinya’s mother storms Parliament over continued detention of her son

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Our Reporter

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February 22, 2022

Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya’s mother, Justine Nakajumba has walked to Parliament early this morning for the second time, asking for the release of her son.

Ssegirinya is currently on remand on charges of murder, aiding, and abetting terrorism, among others. Nakajumba said she tried to seek for the release of her son but all in vain.

“Last time I came with a letter requesting to see the Speaker but didn’t see him. I do not sleep well, I want my son to be released, I beg of you,” said.

Police officers at Parliament calmed her down and took her to the parliament’s canteen. It was not immediately clear whether she would be taken to meet the Deputy Speaker Anita Among.

Magistrate Christine Nantegge on Tuesday, 23rd November 2021 forwarded the case against the MPs to the High Court after prosecution said they had concluded the investigations into the charges of murder, attempted murder, and aiding and abetting terrorism against the two.

Prosecution states that the two legislators together with other suspects – some on remand and others still at large on August, 2, 2021 allegedly killed Joseph Bwanika, a resident of Kisekka Village in Kisekka Sub County in Lwengo District.

It is further alleged that on August 23 at Ssettaala Village in Masaka City, the MPs and their co-accused persons killed Francis Mugerwa Kiiza aka Nswa, Sulaiman Kakooza and Tadeo Kiyimba .

The MPs are also accused of attempting to kill Ronald Ssebyoto, a resident of the same area. They are also accused of financing the killings in the Greater Masaka region.

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Absa Bank Uganda wins ‘Best Practices in Learning and Development’ Award

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Our Reporter

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February 22, 2022

Absa Bank Uganda has been recognised as having the Best Practices in Learning and Development in the recently released Prudential Best Human Resource (HR) Practices Survey for 2021.

The award rates employers on giving their employees opportunities to grow in their careers, apply new skills and talent in their work and access to the learning and development tools needed to do their jobs well.

While receiving the award during a gala held at the Kampala Serena Hotel, Sylvia Mulomi, Absa Bank Uganda’s People Function Director, said, “The world of work is changing and the COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated this future-facing trajectory. As such, organisations need to centre their people and put in place policies that ensure they are always on a journey of consistent career growth.”

The inaugural survey, conducted by Prudential, the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU), the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), Human Capital International, Uganda Investment Authority and Brighter Monday, attracted the participation of almost 2,000 employees from 534 organizations in Uganda.

It seeks to recognise and publicly award Ugandan employers who exhibited excellence in the various human resources thematic areas over the year in review.

Employees were invited to comment, rate, and assess the HR practises and policies of their employers through responding to questions under thematic areas like Organisation performance and confidence; Leadership Alignment, and involvement; Collaboration and Communication; Reward and Recognition; Quality and Innovation; Diversity and Inclusion; Learning and Development; Workplace Culture and Environment; Covid-19 Response and support; Wellbeing programmes among others.

According to Absa’s Mulomi, the bank has prioritisedinterventions that build their staff’s leadership capabilities.

“We have sponsored more women to provide mentorship under the Girls for Girls (G4G) mentorship programme, in addition to colleagues currently undergoing Executive coaching to build their soft skills and prepare them as potential successors to the Country Management Committee, and others have undertaken Absa Leadership Academy Programmes with global business schools,” she added.

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Otunnu leave Archbishop Kazimba out of your political mis-contestations

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Guest Writer

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February 22, 2022

By Ambassador Henry Mayega

The New Vision of February 18, 2022 carried a story, “Olara Otunnu lashes out at Kazimba over JananLuwum Day celebration” in which the former foreign minister of the short-lived Okello-Okello military junta of 1985 irrationally ranted against Archbishop Steven Kazimba Mugalu for “allowing the national commemoration” to be held in Kololo instead of Wii Gweng in Mucwini sub-county, Kitgum!

He is quoted to have added, “…the project of Wii Gweng has become an orphan project” meaning that it has been neglected by those concerned, he didn’t name them! The Kololo event was expected to be graced by President Yoweri Museveni who, because of other pressing engagements, delegated that responsibility. By attacking Archbishop Steven Kazimba Mugalu, a fine and venerated servant of God, over flimsy reasons, the Olara Otunnu shenanigans of symbolism cannot go unchallenged because of the following:

First, Archbishop Janan Luwum, yes, hailed from Mucwini, Kitgum and it was particularly deplorable and repugnant for despotic Idi Amin and his ilk to have killed him in cold blood and dumped his body at Mucwini and had him buried like a common chicken thief: which speaks to how life had become worthless under that most diabolic and gore regime of the 1970s;that if the archbishop had his life ended gruesomely, then who would survive that hangman’s brutish locution and insatiable appetite for spilling Ugandan blood.

Janan, a humble servant of God, would plainly tell off Idi Amin regarding human rights transgressions and he paid the ultimate price like most of Jesus’s disciples! Idi Amin and his henchmen planted guns on him, the kangaroo-courted him and executed him. The Yoweri Museveni administration in its infinite wisdom found it befitting, therefore, to have yearly commemorations of Janan’s iconic personality and Godliness; an obdurateness that Otunnu’s junta never considered during their misrule after their coup d’etat of 1985.

Secondly, Archbishop Janan Luwum wasn’t a tribal prelate; he was in fact elected in 1974 to become the supremo of the Anglican communion of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire (present day DRC),I suppose Otunnu has that recollection! Janan Luwum was, therefore, bigger than Mucwini and a preponderant beyond that sub-county where Otunnu and his ilk plus Idi Amin’s henchmen who dumped his lifeless body there want to permanently confine him. Otunnu, in an act of intellectual dishonesty drew a parallel with the celebrations at Namugongo martyrs hamlet yet the two, in my view, are two totally different scenarios because the regional Anglican communions never picked, out of their own volition, the martyrs of Namugongo like Janan was. In fact in future, Otunnu should not be surprised if the commemoration is made rotational because of Janan Luwum’s international stature or indeed the event can be replicated simultaneously in many places including Mucwini. What Otunnu should understand, if he doesn’t suffer from a cognitive deficit, is to accept that the reverend prelate ceased being a Mucwini statistic once he was elected archbishop of those countries.

Thirdly, these have been tough days given the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic that has debilitated travelling and crowding places. Both have been super spreaders of the pandemic and in the wisdom of the organizers it is most probable that they based their decision to have the commemoration at Kololo on those two; that shouldn’t be rocket science to Olara Otunnu and his ilk.

It should be remembered by Ugandans that Olara Otunnu stood for president against the indomitable Yoweri Museveni in 2011 but he neither voted for himself as a presidential candidate nor voted for the party that sponsored his candidature! And so,his vendetta against the Yoweri Museveni administration on account of having tried, but to no avail, to displace it is written everywhere.

He had expected that after flying cloud 9 from the UN where he had worked with his erstwhile friend, secretary general Javier Pérez de Cuellar, the contest would be a walk-over. The expectation that President Museveni (who did not turn up) would officiate at Kololo must have sent Otunnu into a frenzy that made him attack Archbishop Kazimba.

Ambassador Henry Mayega

Deputy Head of Mission

Uganda Embassy

Abu Dhabi, UAE

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American Chamber of Commerce Uganda Chapter names new leadership

By

Geoffery Serugo

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February 22, 2022

The American Chamber of Commerce Uganda Chapter has appointed new leadership under a new board of Directors and a new General Manager, at its Annual General Meeting at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Meg Hilbert Jaquay, Managing Director of Jakana Foods in Kawempe, takes over from Michael Dwayne Davis Jr., as President of AmCham, making history as Uganda’s first female President to lead a fully staffed operations team. Meg has hitherto served as Vice President of AmCham and pledged to carry on AmCham’s steady progress as a leading business organization promoting business in Uganda.

“I really love what I am doing here at AmCham and as a businessperson in Uganda, and I know that this love can translate into bringing more enthusiasm into the chamber, while creating more jobs in the country through business, “Meg said.

Outgoing President Mike Dwayne Davis Jr. said he had full faith in the new board continuing the work of the chamber in promoting the interests of the members and strengthening links between Ugandan and American businesses.

“I have made a personal decision to not offer myself to serve on the new Board, but I will always support AmCham wherever I am. In three years I will be back in Uganda and will certainly return with a fire for an AmCham that I know will be even more improved,” he said.

Also appointed to the AmCham Board were Simon Kaheru (Coca-Cola Beverages Africa) as Vice President, Henry Kevin Wavah (Sunbelt Holdings Ltd) as Treasurer, Paul Mwirigi(Capital One group), Leonard Magera (One Smart Star), Kyagaba Isaac Newton(Dentons), Robert Jjagwe (Citi Bank), Allan Muhinda (Stanbic Bank) and John Brittell (Amani Partners).

The Chamber also introduced the new General Manager, Eve Zalwango, who will run the AmCham daily operations.

Eve looks forward to reconnecting all the members after a long COVID effect through physical events, adding value with in the chamber networking events and also taking up new policy initiatives for businesses.

Eve brings to the Chamber a wealth of experience running her own business enterprises. She is a YALI (Young African Leadership Initiative) graduate through the U.S department of state, and also holds the Women 4 Women Award – Best Businesswoman in Uganda in 2018.

“I am looking forward to using my energy, enthusiasm and background both here in Uganda and in the United States, to serve the members of AmCham, grow the Chamber, and build the economy of Uganda through business,” she said.