Speke Resort Munyonyo expanded as Uganda gears up for NAM Summit in 2024

• Museveni to take over from Azerbaijan president when Uganda hosts NAM Summit in 2024

Expansion works at the Speke Resort Convention Munyonyo ahead of next year’s 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Heads of State and Government Summit currently stand at 64 per cent according to the chairman of Ruparelia Group, Dr Sudhir Ruparelia.

NAM is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. It aims to create dialogue for a peaceful and prosperous world in a just and equitable order. It is the largest grouping of member states worldwide after the United Nations (UN).

The summit will be held in January 2024 under the theme ‘Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence’. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to take over the chairmanship of the organization from the Azerbaijan President, Ilham Aliyev.

Conducting a media tour of the NAM venue recently, Sudhir said the structural works on the convention center, which started in November 2022 will be completed in November this year.

“Through our subsidiaries, Speke Hotels and Meera Investments, we are sparing no effort to ensure we deliver this key strategic national facility on time,” Sudhir said.

He added that the convention centre will be integrated into existing facilities within the 105-acre luxury resort complex. Jointly being developed by the Ruparelia Group, and the Uganda Development Bank (UDB), the investment arm of government, the facility will have an auditorium with a capacity of 3,800-4,400 people, a multi-purpose hall, 12 high-end conference breakaway meeting rooms and a floating restaurant that host more than 900 guests.

“The convention centre is a much-needed and strategic addition to Uganda’s profile. Apart from hosting the NAM and G-77 South Summits, the Speke Resort and Convention Centre will enhance Uganda’s competitiveness in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions,” said Rajiv Ruparelia, a director Ruparelia Group. 

The 2024 NAM meeting will be used to exchange information between member states and organizations on lessons learned from combating the COVID-19 pandemic that will be vital in collectively responding to future global threats and emergencies.

While addressing the NRM parliamentary regional whips recently, President Museveni said Uganda’s selection to host the NAM Heads of State Summit in 2024 was due to its neutrality on international issues. Museveni noted that the upcoming NAM meeting is bigger than many of the high-profile meetings Uganda has held.