NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM CONFIRMS CONTINUED SUPPORT TO UGANDA’S TOURISM SECTOR
(Posted 16th August 2019)
Uganda and the Kingdom of Belgium have for long enjoyed cordial and warm relations, since Uganda attained independence.
Wrote the Royal Belgian Embassy in Kampala on their Facebook page upon Ambassador Veestraeten being received by President Museveni earlier in the week to hand in his credentials:
???? We are pleased to announce that #Belgium‘s newly appointed Ambassador to #Uganda, H.E. Rudi Veestraeten, has officially presented his credentials to H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House Uganda – Entebbe.
Ambassador Veestraeten appreciated the warm welcome he received and expressed his commitment to further strengthening the already excellent and longstanding bilateral relations enjoyed between Belgium and Uganda, especially the presence of Belgian companies and of our national carrier Brussels Airlines, the active role we play in the #tourismsector and our cooperation in the sectors of #health and #education. He also announced an economic mission in November 2019.
We all wish Ambassador Veestraeten a successful and enjoyable tour of duty while in the Pearl of Africa.
? Diplomatie.Belgium
? Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Uganda
? Uganda Media Centre
#BEinUG ????
That said have Belgian citizens, as a result of both Uganda’s investment climate and for the friendly relations, invested substantially in Uganda’t tourism industry, owning and operating hotels, safari lodges, travel agencies, restaurants, cafes, bars but also bakeries and more recently in Kampala’s only real Delicatessen Shop, #LeGourmet.
The Belgian government supports such investments with a range of measures and tools, among them the FinExpo, mainly active in government to government loans which last year stood at 50 million Euros but notably also for the private sector to stabilize interest rates to the tune of 27 million Euros. This latter element is of special importance for exporters from Belgium to Uganda of goods and services.
Another support platform, exclusively for the private sector, is Bio-Invest (http://www.bio-invest.be/en/) with multiple objectives such as financial institutions, investment companies and investment funds, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and finally infrastructure projects.
Belgium is also a regular importer of goods and products from Uganda, such as cut flowers, chilled lake fish fillets, organic produce such as fruits and vegetables but also honey, chillies, fruit juice concentrates and other much in demand products from Uganda.
For both imports and exports does #BrusselsAirlines (https://www.brusselsairlines.com/en-ug/default.aspx) with their daily flights between Entebbe and Brussels play a major role, facilitating a refrigerated logistics chain both ways depending on the kind of goods being shipped.
In fact has the airline become a key link for tourists from across Europe and the airline’s North American network traveling to Uganda at affordable fares, flying onboard the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft.
