CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Crespo Sebunya, Uganda, January 2000
THEME = ECONOMY
The tourist industry has great potential for Uganda’s
economy,
but it has to be balanced against conservation issues and the needs of the local
population
A look at a statistical chart of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), shows that Uganda's elephant population is faced with extinction. In the 1960s there were 45,000 elephants but today there are less than 5000. What has happened?
Uncontrollable slaughter triggered by an upsurge of rebellion in western Uganda plus weak laws to punish those who illegally settle in game reserve areas, are partly to blame. If this continues, then it will be time to say "good-bye" to the 100,000 tourists who visit the country annually, most of whom come to see the game and who, incidentally spend anything up to $60 million in the process.
In 1986, when Yoweri Museveni took power, he vowed to rehabilitate the economy and put it on sound footing. In the 1970s, tourism was an important cog in the country's economic wheel. It provided 6% of the economic output. Museveni's government is anxious to have it on the road again. "We have good sunshine and the weather is good. I don't see why we fail to attract tourists", he said recently.
Revitalizing tourism is the work of Moses Ali, an ebullient, heavy set Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, who is also deputy premier. In 1992, his ministry predicted that by now Uganda should be counting its blessings, as 800,000 tourists were expected annually, earning some $500 million for the nation's coffers. Now Ali has a more anxious look on his face because of the less than 100,000 tourists annually, bringing in a token $60 million.
The Minister tends to blame journalists for Uganda's poor image abroad: "We have a poor image, brought on by you journalists". He's now holding regular meetings with journalists so that they "help and perhaps stop writing sensational articles about Uganda's troubles. He tells journalists: "Support tourism because it is a delicate but lucrative industry." The Ugandan government spends $18 million annually on improving conditions for tourists.
Perhaps he is right in saying journalists have proved to be a nightmare for the tourist industry. The massacre of ten tourists in Bwindi National Park southern Uganda in 1998 scared off many tourists. The UWA says that Uganda's image in the world at large is still dominated by what has happened in the past. One UWA official puts it this way: "Uganda's image continues to be overshadowed by Idi Amin's legacy and the country is still seen as having security problem".
Uganda's present-day tourist industry is seriously affected by the massive slaughter of animals by marauding rebels and thousands of illegal settlers. The list of extinct species has grown from one in 1986 to more than five. So any project that will stop this, is being considered. Moving endangered species is one of the solution on the drawing board.
Elephants are being moved from Mubende district in central Uganda to the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in western Uganda under a $250,000 European Union grant, but the project is coming to a halt because the government lacks additional funds to top up the EU grant.
People moving into game areas is a major problem. The government initially intended to pay the illegal settlers to leave the areas affected. One such project was the $5 million Bwindi/Mgahinga project supported by the World Bank, where thousands of settlers were paid $1,000 each to go elsewhere.
Such a project has proved extremely costly and cannot be reciprocated elsewhere. This has forced the government to cancel several game reserve projects such as Ajai, Bagungu, Kigezi, Tororo/Semliki, because large populations have move in. However, new game reserves are planned in less populated areas of north-west Uganda.
Perhaps the real solution to people coming in to settle in game reserves, lies elsewhere, and it could be the government is seeing the light. One example lies in community development projects like the Kibaale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED). This is an eco-tourist project in western Uganda where income derived from tourists is invested in community projects such as schools and a library. Within the project area, is an extensive swamp rich in biodiversity and vegetation. In 1995, 1,100 "swamp tourists" toured the swamp. This resulted in over $6,000 being injected into the nearby community funds.
KAFRED which has received support from the US Embassy in Kampala, has completed a board walk, a pavilion for bird viewing and a visitors' centre. "Involvement of local communities in conservation work is now used as a means of addressing game reduction", a state of the environment report issued by the Natural Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for 1998 noted. NEMA is a government institution monitoring environmental issues in Uganda.
But above all, Uganda's political situation needs to be improved, especially as regards internal security. A growing number of rebel groups have made some areas insecure. Already Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebels have forced the government to close Semliki National Park and Mount Rwenzori National Park in western Uganda. Bwindi was closed down for several months in 1998, but re-opened, though business has not yet picked up.
The QENP has seen the number of tourists drop from 40,000 in 1996, to only 2000 in 1998. The Murchison Falls National Park is also badly hit.
The government is presently using the military to curb the growing number of rebel groups. Game wardens have been instructed in military skills, but the government thinks modernizing and professionalising the army may be the best "inoculation" against rebellion.
New hotels are being built and others are on drawing board. Kampala city is increasingly becoming more cosmopolitan with several large restaurants. Investors have promised $344 million in tourist- related projects. Already 90% of tourist activities have been handed over to the private sector. Previously a similar percentage was in government hands. Liberalisation of the foreign exchange market is also giving tourists good value for money.
Uganda still faces challenges especially in improving professional standards among private investors in tourism. But above all, cooperation with neighbouring states will pave the way for the country to maximise its tourist returns. Already steps are being taken by Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania to develop East Africa as a travel and holiday destination. This is in line with modern trends in which most tourists prefer multi-country destination. The strategy also acts as a bulwark against South Africa which is fast becoming a real competitor for East African countries. But this will only be possible when Uganda reviews her interventionist policy in the region. Though her relationship with Kenya and Tanzania remains normal, ties with Rwanda are increasingly becoming uneasy after the two armies fought for control of Kisangani. And what about Sudan and Congo RDC who see Museveni as their common enemy.
The presence of the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in north-east Uganda is a nightmare for conservationists. The SPLA has reportedly established a camp at Nakapiripirit in north-east Uganda. The SPLA was partly responsible for the massive slaughter of game inside Uganda, in the early 1990s and was expelled from that area partly due to donor pressure. Now they have bounced back, a scenario that does not augur well for the game and for tourism.
END
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