Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) have today signed a partnership to package and market the 600MW Karuma and the 183MW Isimba hydropower dams as superstructure/infrastructure tourism products.
Under the partnership, UTB is to assist UEGL to package and commercialize a variety of planned projects and activities at the power dams that, among others, include plant tours, boat cruises, sport fishing, hospitality facilities and souvenirs.
Speaking at the signing ceremony on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, Hope Bizimana, the UEGCL Board Representative, said: “Tourism is not new to hydropower sites as this has been demonstrated at the Three Gorges hydropower site in China, Livingstone falls hydropower site in Zambia, Niagara falls hydropower site in Canada to mention but a few.”
The MoU supports UTB’s efforts to diversify Destination Uganda’s tourism products beyond the dominant wildlife-based tourism, thereby increasing tourist stay and pend in Uganda.
Lilly Ajarova, the CEO of UTB, said: “I do pledge my full support and the entire team to ensure this MoU comes to fruition because electricity and tourism go hand in hand in the development of a country” –
MoU supports UEGCL’s drive to utilize its assets in diversifying its business portfolio and enhance its sustainability as a growing concern.
Construction of the 600MW Karuma power facility commenced in December 2013 and was expected to be completed by the end of 2019, but will now be commissioned in 2022, three years late.
Similarly, works on the 183 MW Isimba dam started in 2013 and were expected to be complete in 2018 but the dam was commissioned by President Museveni in 2019.
Isimba (183 MW), which is being constructed by China International Water and Electric Corporation and Karuma (600 MW) by Sinohydro Corporation Ltd, are key cogs in Mr Museveni’s drive to step up Uganda’s power generation capacity to 1,868 MW, which he says will drive factories and trigger more investments.