Adelegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have arrived in Uganda to conduct a crucial two-day crucial workshop with the PAMOJA Host Nations of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as a way of kick-starting the preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027.
The workshop runs from Wednesday, 22nd to Thursday, 23rd April 2026 here in Kampala. By the end of the workshop, CAF and the PAMOJA Host Nations shall give an update on the delivery priorities for the next phase of preparations for AFCON-2027.
The meeting brings together representatives of the Governments of the three host nations led by their responsible Ministers for Sports, the Presidents of the three Football Federations, Acting CAF General Secretary Samson Adamu accompanied by CAF senior administration officials. It is important to note that this is not a CAF inspection visit for the AFCON-2027 competition and support facilities.
The workshop is a sign of CAF’s commitment to supporting the PAMOJA Host Nations for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 and marks an important step in the collective determination and coordinated process of planning and focus on key functional areas critical to the successful delivery of the Competition. These areas include safety and security, infrastructure, procurement, finance, media, ticketing, and commercial operations.
“As the LOC, we thank Maama Janet Museveni for hosting this meeting. Building strong coordination mechanisms and operational readiness across all core areas is critical for successful tournament delivery. The Media will have the opportunity for a Mixed Zone on Wednesday, 22 April and Thursday, 23 April,”Dr Dennis Mugimba Chairperson Organinsing Committee said.
According to Mugimba ,the AFCON-2027 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will provide more details. On a separate matter, but one related to AFCON-2027 preparations by the LOC of Uganda, we have been receiving inquiries from some owners of apartments and hotels as to how they can become part of AFCON-2027 hotels.
“First, we would like to clarify by stating categorically that the mandate of declaring a service, premise, place, or thing as a tourist facility is the responsibility of the Minister responsible for Tourism. As such, the LOC is working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities as well the Uganda Tourism Board as part of the inter-sectoral arrangements for AFCON-2027 to have a central point of information about facilities authorized to serve as tourist accommodation facilities in Uganda,”hse stated.
Such facilities may include hotels, apartments, guest houses, bungalows, lodges, or any other facility designated by the Minister of Tourism as an accommodation facility for tourists. Therefore, proprietors of yet-to-be-authorized accommodation facilities for tourists who would like them to be considered for accommodation during AFCON-2027 must first seek for such relevant information and authorization from the Uganda Tourism Board – not the AFCON-2027 LOC.
Mugimba estimated at least 500,000 visitors expected to come to Uganda to experience AFCON-2027,for business opportunities and tap in the tourist accommodation industry.
According to him government of the Republic of Uganda has released all the funds that are required for construction and completion of the eight (8) AFCON-2027 Training Facilities (TF) at Hoima Boma TF, Masindi Municipal TF, Sir Tito Winyi S. S., Pece Stadium, Lira University TF, Gulu University TF, Kyambogo University TF, and Makerere University TF. These funds total UShs. 130.4 billion.
“By the end of this month, we look forward to handing over to the UDPF Engineering Brigade the necessary administrative tools to commence work at four TFs; namely: Hoima Boma TF, Masindi Municipal TF, Lira University TF, Gulu University TF. FUFA has requested to be given up to end of June 2026 to hand over FUFA Kadiba Stadium to commence upgrade works as a TF for AFCON-2027.
Nonetheless, AFCON-2027 brings wide range of business opportunities that are not limited to tourist accommodation. These include:
- Transportation services for various forms of tours.
- Nature tourism services.
- Cultural tourism services such as indigenous entertainment, sampling local cuisine/delicacies, visiting traditional markets, participating in communityfocused activities that foster connections with local people.
- Souvenir merchandizes about Uganda and the PAMOJA experience.
- Convenience retail such as restaurants and leisure places.
- Fan zones to engage fans that do not have stadium match tickets by providing festive experiences while watching live games on big screens coupled with entertainment.
- ICT services such as high-speed digital connectivity during high-traffic periods to enable cashless transactions, real-time live streaming of experiences, social sharing, accessing tournament apps and services, immersive experiences with augmented or virtual reality.
- Financial services and products to facilitate local purchases, accommodation, transportation, currency exchange, ticket payments, mobile payments, and much more.
However, all these opportunities require adequate preparation ahead of time by the business sector and individuals interested in offering quality services and products to the tourists that shall be moving into and around the country because of AFCON-2027. This is just about the right time to start the preparations for such.Once the LOC has confirmed its Work Plan for AFCON-2027, we shall also inform the public about other opportunities for the business sector.
