President Museveni Inspects Speke Resort Munyonyo Convention Center, Other Key Projects Ahead Of NAM, G-77 Summits
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, on Saturday November 18, 2023, inspected and assessed the the progress of Speke Resort Munyonyo Convention Center that will host the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group of 77 (G-77) +China Third South summits next year.
While at Speke Resort Munyonyo, the President was shown around the modern multipurpose Convention Center which has facilities such as the high-end conference meeting rooms, and a 4,000 -seater auditorium.
The new convention center will have a main hall hosting 3,800 people, with 12 breakout session rooms. Once completed, the multi-billion center will also have a suspended restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria and smaller conference rooms or sideline meetings during the summit.
Uganda will host the two summits from 15th-23rd January 202 with NAM running under the theme: “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence” whereas the Third South summit will focus on “Leaving No One Behind”.
”The NAM summit will provide a platform for global cooperation and solidarity and for advancing our common goals. Uganda is prepared to showcase its hospitality and contribute to a successful summit” Museveni confirmed during the tour.
During the tour, the President was accompanied by the First Daughter, Mrs. Natasha Karugire and top government officials led by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, the Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, the Head of Public service and Chairperson of the National Organizing Committee of NAM and G-77 summits.
Others included; Ms. Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, the Minister of State for Works and Transport, Hon. Musa Ecweru and the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms. Dorothy Kisaka.
Apart from Speke Resort Munyonyo, President Museveni also inspected a variety of other infrastructure projects including Mukwano road, the Clock Tower Interchange, Kampala-Gaba Road, Wavamunno Road, Salama Road & the Busabala Interchange) and Entebbe International Airport.
During the inspections, the President interacted with local communities, workers, and project stakeholders, acknowledging their contribution and valuable input and emphasized the significance of collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure that the infrastructure projects meet the needs and aspirations of the people they serve.
While visiting the airport facility, Mr. Fred Bamwesigye, the Director General of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority informed the President that they have upgraded the facility with the latest CCTV camera technology.
Mr. Bamwesigye also informed the President that the new terminal is twice the capacity of the old one at 20,000 square meters and is expected to take in more than three million passengers per year.
He also mentioned that the cargo centre has a capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes citing that its quantity is steadily increasing.
The Non-Aligned Movement was founded in 1955 during the Asian-Africa meeting in Bandung, Indonesia, and pursued decolonization. It brings together countries that are not aligned with any of the rival Eastern and Western power blocs.