Uganda Joins EAC Partner States to Advance Regional Tourism and Wildlife Agenda

From 8th to 12th, September, 2025, a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, led by the Minister of State, Hon. Bahinduka Mugarra Martin, participated in the 12th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management held at the East African Community (EAC) Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The delegation included senior officials from the Ministry, with the Permanent Secretary represented by Mr. Sseremba Geoffery, the Acting Commissioner for Wildlife Conservation Mr. George Owesigire, Assistant Commissioner for Finance and Planning Mr. Manga Lyadda, and Principal Tourism Officer Ms. Kiiza Harriet. They were joined by officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Tourism Board, and the Ministry of East African Community Affairs.

The Uganda Consulate in Arusha was also represented, with Amb. Anne Katusiime and Counsellor Philip Kanyoonzi joining the delegation. The main objective of the meeting was to review progress and offer policy guidance on the implementation of projects, activities, and programs under the Tourism and Wildlife Management sector within the region.

The session began with a meeting of senior officials from 8th to 10th September 2025. During this session, officials reviewed and discussed the background paper and action matrix from the decisions and directives of the 11th Sectoral Council. Their deliberations culminated in a comprehensive report, which was presented for consideration by Permanent Secretaries.

On 11th September 2025, the Permanent Secretaries convened to review and consider the report submitted by the senior officials. The process concluded with the Ministerial Session on 12th September 2025, where Ministers of Tourism and Wildlife from all eight EAC Partner States adopted the report of the 12th Sectoral Council. The participating states included the Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, Republic of South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Significantly, out of the 301 decisions and directives issued in previous Sectoral Council meetings, 47.84% (144) have been fully implemented. Additionally, 16.61% (50) are currently ongoing, another 16.61% (50) are considered continuous in nature, while 18.94% (57) have not yet been implemented. The meeting highlighted the importance of accelerating implementation across all Partner States to ensure sustainable tourism development and wildlife conservation in the region.