MBARARA UGANDA: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed the Prime Minister and key government ministries to support the implementation of a proposed mega international airport project at Nyakisharara Government Aerodrome near Mbarara City.

In a letter dated February 11, 2026, addressed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Museveni instructed all relevant government departments to work with a private investor, Base Seven Company, to develop the large-scale transport project under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

According to the President, the project aims to position Uganda as a strategic aviation hub linking South America, particularly Brazil, and China. Museveni argued that the current air routes between the two regions are long and uneconomical, often taking between 34 to 42 hours.

He noted that flights from South America to Nyakisharara would take approximately nine hours, and another 11 hours from Nyakisharara to China reducing the total travel time to about 20 hours if Uganda becomes a refueling and transit hub.

The proposed airport will sit on approximately 21 square kilometers of land and feature two runways measuring 5.5 kilometers each. A third reserve runway for VIP use, measuring 3.7 kilometers, is also planned. The project will utilize existing government land around the aerodrome and additional land to be acquired from surrounding landowners.

Museveni further revealed that the developers will finance the project privately and recover their investment through airport user fees and related facilities such as hotels to be constructed at the site. The financiers were identified as Hunnan and Black Rock, with the airport operator to be nominated by the financiers.

The President also directed that the Ibanda-Mbarara public road be relocated at the developers cost to facilitate the project. He proposed considering alternative routes east of Nyakisharara and tasked relevant authorities with agreeing on the most suitable alignment.

Museveni emphasized the need to involve key institutions including the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Finance, and the Attorney Generals chambers to ensure smooth coordination and implementation.

If approved and executed, the Nyakisharara International Airport would become one of the largest aviation infrastructure projects in western Uganda and potentially transform Mbarara into a major global transit and logistics hub.