Nyakisharara will be upgraded to Entebbe Airport standard – Museveni tells Mbarara

• Nyakishara chosen for a new international airport, expected to match Entebbe in size and open global routes.
• Airport to boost trade, tourism, cargo movement and attract investment to the south-western region.
• Government also announces upgrades to major roads to support growth around the new airport.

President Yoweri Museveni has announced that Nyakishara will host a new international airport, a landmark infrastructure project expected to transform Mbarara and the wider south-western region.

The airport, chosen by Chinese and Brazilian partners for its strategic location that shortens global flight paths, will be constructed on the same scale as Entebbe International Airport. Museveni said the project positions the region for major economic expansion.

“This airport is not just for Mbarara,” he said. “It will open the whole of Ankole to international business, shorten routes for our partners, and attract new investment into Uganda. You are lucky that our partners, the Chinese and Brazilians have found that it’s shorter here by 12 hours for their journeys instead of going to Europe first.”

The new facility is expected to create jobs, expand agricultural exports, and strengthen the region’s capacity to handle cargo and tourism traffic.

Museveni also announced upgrades to major road networks, including the Bwizibwera–Nsika–Nyakashaka–Nyakabirizi road and the Biharwe–Rwantysinga–Kaguhanzya–Bwentama–Bwizibwera route, saying improved connectivity will support the expected growth around the airport.

As a brief aside, the President noted that today’s stability across the country has made such development possible, contrasting it with the difficult journeys he once made through the region during past conflicts.

Museveni who is seeking reelection for a 9th term made the remarks at Booma Grounds in Mbarara. Currently he’s traversing the Ankole subregion ahead of the 15th Jan election.