Kampala, Uganda — The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has called for a strategic partnership with the European Union (EU) to help unlock and develop the region’s tourism potential. Speaking through Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaga, the Kingdom highlighted a wide range of untapped attractions, including cultural heritage sites, royal tombs, national parks, Lake Albert, and forest reserves, saying these could be transformed into major tourism destinations if properly developed and promoted.
Byakutaga said strengthening the tourism sector would position it as a key driver of economic growth and transformation within the Kingdom, urging the EU to support joint efforts in that direction. He welcomed the EU’s decision to include tourism among priority sectors for support in Uganda, describing it as an opportunity that aligns with Bunyoro Kitara’s development goals.
Beyond tourism, the Kingdom also appealed for broader cooperation with the EU in areas such as technical and vocational education and training (TVET), digital innovation and ICT, research and cultural studies, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, girls’ education, renewable energy, environmental education, climate-smart agriculture, and coffee production.
EU Ambassador to Uganda, Jan Sadek, said the European Union is already supporting Uganda’s tourism sector through initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, marketing, and sustainability, with particular focus on protected areas, climate action, and host communities.
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He emphasized that tourism operates as a value chain that supports other sectors, including agriculture, and has the potential to drive wider economic transformation. Sadek also noted that the EU is increasingly focused on community-based tourism models that promote local culture and ensure that ordinary Ugandans directly benefit from the sector.
Hoima City Mayor Edward Isingoma also called for deeper EU engagement, particularly in environmental governance, transparency, local content development, and planning for a just transition as oil production in the Albertine Graben advances toward first oil. He praised the EU’s continued support for the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, human rights, civil society, and public financial management systems.
Isingoma further proposed collaboration in establishing a regional skills institute aligned with European TVET standards, alongside scholarship programmes, exchange opportunities, and apprenticeships linking local youth with European companies operating in the region.
The EU ambassadors, led by Sadek, are currently on their annual joint mission to the Bunyoro sub-region to engage with local leaders, cultural institutions, civil society, private sector actors, and oil and gas operators to better understand the region’s opportunities and challenges.
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