Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni has directed the government to fast-track implementation of a mega international airport project at the Government Aerodrome in Nyakisharara, near Mbarara City, marking a renewed push toward transforming Western Uganda into a strategic global aviation and logistics hub.
In a letter dated February 11, 2026, addressed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, the President ordered all relevant ministries and government departments to help Base Seven Company implement the project, describing it as a “mega transport project” that will take advantage of shifting global trade patterns connecting Latin America and China.
“I am writing to direct you and all the concerned Government departments to help a company known as “Base Seven Company” to implement a mega transport project at and around the Government Aerodrome of Nyakyisharara, near Mbarara,” Museveni wrote.
“Using Nyakyisharara as a nucleus, they intend to build a mega International Airport in that area,” he added.
The proposed facility will be developed at the existing Nyakisharara aerodrome, an aviation strip lying about 9–11 kilometres northwest of Mbarara City along the Ibanda-Mbarara road, and is set to become one of Uganda’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
Museveni’s February 2026 directive expands on earlier government endorsements of the airport, which first surfaced in 2025 when he met with a Chinese-led consortium, including Base 7 Aviation International Academy and Hamster Business Solutions, at State House, Entebbe, and pledged full support.
Under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model envisioned by planners, the investor will finance and develop the hub before eventually transferring it to the government after an agreed period. The project is expected to cover 21 square kilometres of land and feature two runways each measuring 5.5 km, as well as a 3.7 km reserve runway for VIP flights.
Why Mbarara?
Though Nyakisharara has traditionally been a modest airstrip with limited domestic traffic, government planners argue its location positions it as a strategic transit point between South America (particularly Brazil) and China, potentially cutting long global flight routes and fostering new air-freight corridors.
President Museveni affirmed that exploiting emerging trade patterns could save significant flying time, noting that existing routes between Latin America and China can take between 34 and 42 hours, whereas a stop in Nyakisharara could reduce total travel time to about 20 hours by allowing refuelling and cargo handling at the proposed airport.
“Why such a big airport in the hitherto remote area of Uganda? It is all on account of the hitherto unknown factor of the way the globe was arranged by God and the new phenomenon of unfolding global affluence. This phenomenon has seen the hitherto underdeveloped parts of the globe becoming very prosperous,” he explained.
Museveni said the project would be privately financed and operated under a build-operate-transfer arrangement.
“The company will use their own money to do the developments and recover that money by charging the users of the airport and the accompanying facilities, such as the hotels they will build there,” he wrote. “They will use the strategy of BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) to the Government after an agreed period.”
The financiers were identified as Hunan and Black Rock, while the operator would be nominated by the investors.
According to the letter, the airport complex would cover about 21 square kilometres and include two runways measuring 5.5 kilometres each, alongside a 3.7-kilometre reserve runway for VIPs.
“They will use the Government land of the aerodrome and its surroundings plus the land they will buy from the nearby land owners,” Museveni wrote.
He also directed that the Ibanda–Mbarara road be shifted east of the aerodrome at the developer’s expense if necessary, and instructed ministries including Works and Transport, Lands, Finance, and the Attorney General’s chambers to coordinate implementation.
Base Seven is a private aviation company that runs the Base 7 International Aviation Academy. The firm says it is developing an aviation training organization and an aircraft maintenance facility at the Nyakyisharara airfield.
According to the company’s website, “Founded with a vision to transform African aviation, Base 7 International Aviation Academy has been training the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals.”
Officials and local stakeholders say the airport could unlock economic opportunities for the Ankole and Western Uganda regions, catalysing tourism, agriculture exports, and logistics investment. The airport is also expected to handle international passenger and cargo flights, complementing the existing Entebbe International Airport, which currently serves as Uganda’s main international aviation gateway.
The project, first backed robustly by government in late 2025 and now formally ordered forward, is expected to be completed by around 2030, offering Western Uganda a new gateway for trade, tourism, and global connectivity.
Uganda currently relies on Entebbe as its main international gateway, with smaller regional airfields serving domestic and charter traffic. Government has recently advanced plans for additional airports in Hoima, Gulu and Kidepo to support oil development, tourism and cargo exports.
The Nyakyisharara proposal would represent one of the country’s most ambitious aviation projects, signaling a push to position Uganda along emerging long-haul air corridors as African passenger volumes continue to expand.
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