UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | Uganda’s government has yet again sought real estate muloodi Sudhir Ruparelia, Uganda’s top property developer, to build and co-finance a contemporary convention centre at Commonwealth Speke Resort Munyonyo on Lake Victoria’s shores late next year.
The convention centre is needed to accommodate the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Kampala in November 2023. The NAM summit will host over 120 heads from nations that are not allied with either the eastern or western powers. Leaders are expected to attend from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, with observers China and Russia.
The NAM summit was founded in 1955 during the Asian-Africa meeting in Indonesia, to pursue decolonisation. Today, NAM has morphed into a powerful alliance – second to the United Nations in numerical strength – to advocate for political and economic rights for its members, as well as canvassing positions of member countries on world affairs.
“To host NAM, you need state-of-the-art facilities like first-class accommodation and dining facilities, and a convention centre, which is being planned for at Speke Resort Munyonyo,” says Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
The deal appears to echo a previous deal the government entered into with Sudhir in 2006 at the Speke Resort Munyonyo. In that deal, the government advanced roughly USh8.8b to Meera Investments, the property development arm of Sudhir’s Ruparelia Group, to build 59 presidential suites at the Resort to accommodate Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) delegates in November 2007. The government’s USh8.8b contribution constituted 25 percent government equity in the investment.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija states the government is embarking on this project with Sudhir because the billionaire had promised to generate cash to co-finance the event.
It is estimated the construction of the convention centre will cost USD$40 million (USh140 billion), however it is unclear how much each party will invest. Minister Kasaija says the government lacks enough money to build its own convention centre.
“It is an urgent project, and a lot of money is needed, which will be difficult for the government to muster in a short notice. Government does not have all the money. There are many things we have to do; so, if we find a partner, it is easier,” says Hon Kasaijja.
On the other hand, Dr Sudhir declined to comment on the negotiations.
In anticipation of the NAM summit, President Museveni directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to establish a contemporary convention centre.
Consequently, Ms Nabbanja met with Mr Sudhir and the consul of Nepal in early February to develop this idea. Officials from the Ministries of Finance and Works also attended, along with Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, who lobbied for Uganda to host the NAM summit.
As a follow-up to this meeting, Sudhir hosted Prime Minister Nabbanja alongside Minister Kasaija at his resort a couple of weeks later, where a cross-section of government officials and Sudhir’s employees hammered out details of the project, including previewing the architectural designs.
Sources familiar with the discussions say the project will comprise a 3,500-seat ultra-modern auditorium and a suspended restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. Additional presidential suites will also be developed with smaller conference rooms for sideline meetings during the NAM summit.
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