By Andrew Irumba
Kampala, Entebe: The Managing Director of Fairway Hotel Mr Azhar Jaffer has hailed Uganda’s president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa for being one of Uganda’s most brainy leaders the country is blessed with. Azhar was part of the delegation from Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) that met the president yesterday to divice means on how best they can market and leverage on the uniqueness the pearl of Africa presents to the world.
Museveni chaired a joint meeting between UTB, Ministry of Tourism and the private sector leaders in which he urged all the stakeholders to work together for the greater good of Uganda,not their ‘selfish stomachs’.
“Talk properly, look for people who can add value on what you’re doing. Harmonise” Museveni told officials from the Ministry of Tourism, the Uganda Tourism Board & Tourism Sector Stakeholders who met him at State House Entebbe yesterday.
The delegation also discussed several contentious issues with the president including gov’t handling of investment in marketing tourism, which focuses on marketing initiatives, the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo brand, skilling and capacity building and conservation initiatives. The team also requested him to visit one of the national parks to launch the national tourism agenda, which he accepted.
It was after this discussion in statehouse that Mr Azhar Jaffer got moved by Museveni’s unparalleled intellectual prowess, and when he moved out, he immediately called our reporter and expressed his appreciation thus; “I have just had such an interesting experience at state house. The president was bringing UTB and private sector together to work on promoting the country. He’s a very sharp guy, he has a very strong mind,” Azhar told our reporter via phone as soon as he arrived in his office at Fairway Hotel yesterday.
Azhar is a member of Uganda Tourism Association representing all hotels in Uganda.
I have also accepted an invitation to explore one of our many National Parks. I encourage all Ugandans to #ExploreUganda, the #PearlOfAfrica first, as well as use everything at our disposal to sell our country as the most competitive destination in the region. pic.twitter.com/ftZNShqRj2
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 2, 2022
Uganda is blessed with an undeniable natural beauty. In the west, the Rwenzori peaks reach towards the sky, the perfect challenge for bold explorers – Across the nation, parks are home to some of the world’s most exotic animals: Silverbacks, lions and countless others. In the west, Tooro sub-region, among others things, there’s 56 crater lakes, Amabere Ga’nyina mwiru, the people and rich cultures to mention but a few, but Uganda is doing little to benefit from its richness.
In the same vein, Tourism is Uganda’s major driver of employment, investment and foreign exchange, contributing 4.9 trillion Ugandan shillings (US$1.88 billion or €1.4 billion as of August 2013) to Uganda’s GDP in the financial year 2012–2013.
