Adonia Ayebare has officially taken over as Uganda’s minister of foreign affairs.
At a handover at the foreign affairs ministry, Ayebare received the instruments of office from Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune, who had served as acting minister since 22 June.
Kasolo expressed confidence in Ayebare saying that the ministry will deliver on its core mandate, which he described as promoting bilateral and multilateral relations, attracting foreign investors and securing markets for Ugandan products.
In his remarks, Ayebare thanked Kasolo for holding the position during the transition and credited him with maintaining continuity in bilateral relations, consular services and Uganda’s international obligations. Senior officials and heads of department attended as the minister set out his priorities.
Ayebare has been Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York since 2016 to 2025, where he represented the country across the UN system and coordinated its multilateral engagements.
During Uganda’s Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from 2024 to 2025, he coordinated the bloc’s engagement at the UN from New York.
Commenting about his top agenda ,Ayebare said economic and commercial diplomacy will be his foremost instrument for national transformation adding that all Ugandan missions abroad will be realigned to advance the ATMS strategy, cover agro-industrialisation, tourism, minerals including oil and gas,Science, Technology and Innovation drives.
In terms of economic and commercial diplomacy, Ayebare pledged to align his ministry’s main contribution to national strategy of growong Uganda’s economy tenfold to $500billion by 2040.
“The mission will be given explicit commercial mandates to attract investment, promote value-added exports, secure market access and position Uganda as a regional trade and logistics hub,”H stated.
John Leonard Mugerwa, representing the Permanent Secretaryin the Ministry welcomed Ayebare and said staff were ready to support him.
Ayabare Career
Adonia Ayebare born 18 October 1966 previously served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2017-2026. Before that, from January 2013, until March 2017, he served as the Senior Adviser on Peace and Security at the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
He holds a bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication obtained in 1993, from Makerere University and two masters in Arts degrees one from Long Island University andd the other from Tufts Unversity of Law and Diplomacy in the United States.From 1996 until 1998, Ayebare worked as a staff reporter at the East African Business Week
His diplomatic career began in 2001 when he was appointed as Uganda’s Principal Adviser and Special Envoy to the Burundi peace process, serving in that capacity until 2008. Between 2002 and 2005, he served as Uganda’s Ambassador and Head of Mission to Rwanda and Burundi.
In 2005, he was transferred to Uganda’s mission at the United Nations, based in New York, serving as Deputy Permanent Representative until 2008. In 2009, he was appointed as Director of the Africa Program at the “International Peace Institute”, a think tank, based in New York, serving there until 2011. From 2010 until 2012, he went back to serve as Deputy Head of Uganda’s mission to the UN, based in New York City
