What the Berlin wall tells you about Uganda
I have seen a concept about turning the oil complexes and Uganda’s oil industry at large into a tourism tap. It’s possible to reap more than oil and gas from the industry. There is the food industry, where people discover and taste the unique delicacies of Uganda, making them Ugandan-at-heart and ambassadors of the brand Uganda, says Kirunda.
Al-Haji Faruk Kirunda
By Al-Haji Faruk Kirunda
From my recovery bed here in Berlin, I have a renewed perspective on the country of Uganda, and the attractions that an outsider may hunger for but which can only be found in our temperate and uniquely created lands in the Southern Hemisphere.
From where I am to where the Berlin Wall once stood is about 2.2 kilometres. This wall was a guarded concrete and barbed wire barrier built by communist East Germany that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.
It was built to stop East Germans from defecting to the democratic West. The city had been split in half at the end of World War 2 following Germany’s defeat. The wall only came down at the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990.
Though a relic of the country’s difficult past and the Cold War era, the ruins of the wall are a major tourist attraction that draws in millions of sightseers annually. That is despite the fact that much of the original concrete has been lost.
The site is well developed for the sightseer’s convenience and comfort, with sleek buses bringing in the tourists, who then climb stairs up to an observation deck and take pictures of the East Berlin neighbourhood below.
It’s all good, but you can see that they are hungering for authentic experiences of history and discovery of nature.
This brings me back to our gifted and very lovable Uganda; have we exhausted our tourism potential and attained the highest ranking possible? No! In a bid to attain a $500billion economy as projected for 2040, we have a lot of thinking, doing, rethinking, redoing and relearning to do until we are there.
Uganda likely has more of these than the average country in the world. We still have ripe opportunities in agriculture (land optimisation, better soil and plant science and farm management practices, better storage and transportation of produce, processing and best marketing practices), mineral and natural resource wealth and Tourism.
On tourism, we have been forced by existing economic shocks to look closer. The “old” tourism focusing on the natural physical world of mountains, rivers, lakes, unique fauna and flora and historical sites still sells, but these have not been emptied of their value; if ever they will.
The Rwenzoris, the source of River Nile in Jinja, the primates in Mgahinga and the national parks have been visited and seen since time immemorial, but a lot remains to be done to “mine the gold” in them.
It’s about adding value to them to attract a higher dividend from increased inflows of tourists, including local ones, and what they can pay to see them.
We should “micromap” the whole country to identify anything and everything with tourism value in it, then aggressively, skillfully and consistently float it on the global market using multimodal media approaches.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and its agencies like Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are doing a good job, but they need more support and goodwill so as to push them to the maximum of their drive for excellence.
It is possible to consistently make Tourism the number one foreign exchange earner. That is because tourism doesn’t have seasons, like coffee. As long as there is stability and security, and the infrastructure is there, people can come year-round and support our economy because of our moderate and health-giving weather.
The source of the Nile, renowned as it is, needs world-standard recreational and hospitality facilities there. The site of the slaying of Bishop Hannington at Kyando in Mayuge district is also yet to be developed.
I am glad that I presented this to His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni, and he agreed to fund the project in the near future when funds are available. UWA’s plan for a zoo in Mayuge is most welcome. Every sub- region should have one for proximity benefit.
I have seen a concept about turning the oil complexes and Uganda’s oil industry at large into a tourism tap. It’s possible to reap more than oil and gas from the industry. There is the food industry, where people discover and taste the unique delicacies of Uganda, making them Ugandan-at-heart and ambassadors of the brand Uganda.
There is people tourism, where tourists admire what makes Ugandans special, beautiful and outstanding in their physical attributes and attitudes.
One of our staff in the Presidential Press Unit, Abu Mwesigwa, published an album of unseen- before pictures of President Museveni on duty and in his private life. The book has sold out. Demand is high globally.
This is an example of what can be done to market Uganda’s gifts of nature and our people profiles. We aim to set up a Yoweri Museveni library and auditorium where the president’s rich life story, speeches, wise sayings and activities will be displayed for the world to have a clearer picture of the life and times of an outstanding revolutionary leader of our times.
Smart packaging and effective promotion can make all the difference and ease our walk into the coveted $500billion economic range.
The author is the Special Presidential Assistant-Press & Mobilisation/Deputy Press Secretary-State House
Email: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug