President Museveni endorses tourism campaign for visa-free Africa

________________

President Yoweri Museveni has pledged strong support for a Trans-Africa Tourism campaign aimed at fostering unity, development and collaboration across the continent through strategic engagements in tourism.

Museveni made the commitment while meeting a delegation from Ghana, alongside Uganda's tourism officials, on November 17, 2025, at the Mayuge State Lodge. His endorsement of a visa-free Africa reinforces Uganda's commitment to regional cooperation and its role in promoting a unified African tourism, cultural and heritage agenda.

The Ghanaian delegation meeting President Museveni was led by Ras Mubarak, Bismarck Nortei Annoo, Susan Odella and Eric Agyei, while the Ugandan team included Eunice Tworekirwe and Harriet Kizza from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, with Suzan Kyomukama representing the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).

 

A delegation from Ghana together with Ugandan tourism officials meeting president Museveni at Mayuge State lodge on Monday to discuss a visa-free Africa.

Prior to the meeting, the group undertook familiarisation visits to key tourism sites across the country and also held a series of engagements with various tourism stakeholders.

The Trans-Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign is described as a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to strengthening unity, development and collaboration across the continent through strategic tourism engagement.

The official visit, which ends today, Wednesday, also included meetings with tourism minister Tom Butime, permanent secretary Doreen Katusime, tourism director Basil Ajer and the president of the Uganda Tourism Association, Yogi Birigwa.

Simplicious Gessa, the head of public affairs at UTB, said that visa-free travel would enable countries to jointly market regional tourism circuits, allowing visitors to experience multiple African attractions on a single trip.

He noted that such integration would elevate Africa's competitiveness globally.

Gessa also highlighted countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, which have already introduced visa-free travel for African nationals, making themselves more accessible and attractive to tourists.

Juliana Kagwa, the UTB chief executive officer, said Uganda was proud to provide strategic support for the visit in order to strengthen continental partnerships and align efforts with national tourism priorities.

She said the collaboration reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to regional cooperation and to advancing a strong, unified African tourism narrative.

Earlier in July, Lilly Ajarova, the senior presidential advisor on tourism, raised concerns about visa restrictions, describing them as one of the most significant barriers to tourism growth.

 

The Ghanaian delegation while meeting offcials at the tourism ministry, tourism police and the private sector led by UTA president.

She referred to international research showing that visa restrictions can reduce travel flows by up to 63 per cent, cut bilateral trade by 21 per cent and lower foreign direct investment by as much as 32 per cent.

According to the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the ten-fold growth strategy, tourism is projected to contribute 50 billion dollars to Uganda’s GDP by 2040.

Ajarova argued that achieving this target requires the removal of barriers that discourage visitors, beginning with improving visa access.

Meanwhile, tourism minister Tom Butime said Uganda’s tourism sector recorded strong recovery in 2024, with international arrivals increasing by 7.7 per cent from 1,274,210 in 2023 to 1,371,895.

He said the growth was mainly driven by Mainland Africa, which contributed 1,223,678 visitors, accounting for 89.2 per cent of all arrivals, with East Africa remaining the main source.

Butime added that overseas markets also grew by 8.9 per cent, reaching 137,411 arrivals, led by Asia with 67,176 visitors, Europe with 39,596 and the Americas with 28,751, although their combined share rose only slightly from 10 per cent to 10.1 per cent.