International excitement around Uganda’s upcoming Giants Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Forum grew today as ambassadors gathered at a special breakfast at the Kampala Serena Hotel to learn more about the upcoming initiative.
The diplomatic representatives, who came from countries all over the world, were told how the Forum on 6 October 2017 will provide a historic moment for private investors to pursue conservation-friendly investment into Uganda’s protected areas.
This will provide jobs for local communities, raise higher tax revenues for the Ugandan government, and help protect Uganda’s wildlife and beautiful landscapes.
Speaking at the breakfast event, Oliver Poole, the Giants Club’s Executive Director, told the gathered dignitaries: “Uganda has some of Africa’s most beautiful locations. By inviting conservation-motivated investors to help build a ‘nature-based economy’, we will rehabilitate and manage Uganda’s network of protected areas while delivering economic growth.
“Together we can ensure the Pearl of Africa continues to shine brightly.”
The attending dignitaries at the breakfast specially organised by the Uganda Tourist Board and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included CEOs from some of Uganda’s biggest companies who were also keen to learn more about the Forum.
They learnt that the event, which has been organised by the Giants Club in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the African Wildlife Foundation, would be a unique opportunity to harness the financial muscle of the world’s leading hotel and lodge operators, as well as other responsible businesses, to raise vital funds to support and protect Uganda’s wildlife.
The Forum is the first of its kind in Africa and is being held at the Lake Victoria Serena Resort. Uganda has Africa’s fastest growing elephant population but, with urgent development needs and limited budgets, the country presently lacks adequate financial resources to fully support its conservation requirements.
The initiative is supported by H.E. the President, Yoweri Museveni, who will be speaking at the Forum. At the initiative’s public launch earlier in the year, he told reporters: “This announcement today is an important step in our commitment to unlocking the new and innovative investment models needed to effectively protect our most beautiful landscapes and wildlife for the benefit of the Ugandan people.
“The Forum is aimed at launching a new initiative to attract tourism into Uganda, to make it a destination for high-end paying clients, and secure long-term sources of funding for the protection and maintenance of Uganda’s Protected Area network.”
The Giants Club has been working closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Forestry Authority, Uganda Investment Authority, and Uganda Tourist Board to organise the event. Between 40 and 50 major international investors are now expected to be arriving in Uganda early next month to attend the event.
To find out more about the Giants Club visit www.spaceforgiants.org
