KAMPALA, Oct. 27 — Uganda has approved the allocation of an additional six acres (about 2.4 hectares) of government land to the United Nations Regional Service Centre in Entebbe to support the expansion of its operations, a senior government official said Tuesday.
The Cabinet approved the allocation on Monday, increasing the center’s total landholding to 26 acres, Minister of ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba said in a statement.
Established in 2010, the center provides financial, human resources, administrative, logistics and information technology support to various United Nations missions in Africa.
Lumumba said the expansion comes as the United Nations reorganizes its operations to reduce costs and improve resource utilization, with Uganda seeking to attract more of the organization’s support services.
Located about 40 km southwest of the capital, Kampala, the center took over several administrative and support functions previously handled by the Kuwait Joint Support Office on July 1.
“For Uganda, this is an opportunity to strengthen our position as a host of international services and to support local businesses,” Lumumba said.
Figures presented to Cabinet indicate that spending by the center’s staff injects about 40 million U.S. dollars into the local economy annually, while local contracts account for a further 33 million dollars.
“By providing room for expansion, the government is supporting Uganda’s partnership with the United Nations and creating space for greater economic activity in Entebbe,” the minister said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
