Let’s make full use of global summits
Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo that will host the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit that started yesterday. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
The issue: Global summits
Our view: Uganda has several tourist attractions, which ought to be showcased to the visitors and encourage them to visit such places as national parks, waterfalls, and cultural sites.
The highly anticipated 19th Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) summit kicked off yesterday at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala amid high expectations from Ugandans.
The week-long meeting under the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence” is expected to deliberate and issue pronouncements on key issues including geo-political tensions, development, social and human rights issues including climate change and transnational crime.
Other issues are sustainable development and Agenda 2030, the world financial and economic crisis, unemployment, Africa’s development and challenges, and climate change, food security, health energy, racism, ICT, and the advancement of women.
Reports have indicated that the government hopes to secure at least Shs3.7 trillion investment deals by the time the NAM and the G77+ China summits end next Tuesday. Many are hopeful that the conferences will bring economic gains on many fronts.
The selection to host the conference is a huge vote of confidence on Uganda and cements its place as a destination for meetings of such global stature, given its pivotal role in hosting the 2007 Chogm. Therefore, we should not undersell ourselves.
The conference has numerous powerful world leaders and those that matter at decision making rooms coming to Kampala. This gives our leaders the chance to closely interact and sell the country’s agenda to the rest of the world leaders.
Given the items that form the agenda of the meeting listed above, we strongly believe that our leaders need to ink deals that solve the country’s problems, including climate change, human rights issues, underperforming economy, and unemployment, among others, by leveraging ICT and other avenues given our young population.
The time to show investors what our challenges are and how they can step in to invest here is now; such an opportunity will not be easy to come by.
Uganda has several tourist attractions, which ought to be showcased to the visitors and encourage them to visit such places as national parks, waterfalls, and cultural sites. We should also use this opportunity to show the world that we have an impressive gorilla tracking activity at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and many other fascinating activities.
Relatedly, Uganda has over the years registered itself as a growing long-distance athletics powerhouse. Let’s tell our visitors that Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, Stephen Kiprotich, Moses Kipsiro, Dorcus Inzikuru, Peruth Chemutai, and many other Olympic and World Champions come from the Pearl of Africa. The guests should be encouraged to visit the high altitude training centre in Kapchorwa District and have a feel of how the stars are made.
Let’s make full use of this global event.
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