Africa-Press – Uganda. State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang has assured Ugandans that Hoima will have sufficient hotel capacity to host teams and fans during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, even as he acknowledged that accommodation remains a pressing concern.
Speaking on NBS Sport, Ogwang addressed growing questions about whether Hoima City will have enough quality hotel rooms to host national teams, travelling supporters and officials from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) if it is allocated high-profile group matches.
Uganda is set to co-host the 2027 Afcon tournament alongside Kenya and Tanzania, marking the first time the competition will be staged across three East African nations. Hoima City has been earmarked as one of Uganda’s host venues.
However, concerns have persisted over whether the oil-rich city, which has seen rapid growth in recent years, can comfortably accommodate thousands of visitors during the month-long tournament.
On Monday, Ogwang revealed that government has already constituted a technical working group to assess national readiness beyond stadium infrastructure.
“First of all, I want to confirm to the country and all viewers that my minister, the senior minister, did constitute a technical working committee to carry out assessment outside sport as a sector of education — a technical working group who is now looking at areas of other ministries. And I want to say that tomorrow they are finalising that report,” Ogwang said.
He explained that he is scheduled to receive the report at the level of the Local Organising Committee before escalating it to the inter-ministerial committee for further action.
“On Thursday, I can confirm without fear of contradiction, I’m chairing a meeting on behalf of the Local Organising Committee to receive that report. After I’ve received that report, we are going to discuss it. Then I will be able to present that report to her, and she will be able to call the inter-ministerial committee,” he added.
Ogwang emphasised that hotel development falls under the tourism sector and requires coordinated government intervention beyond the sports docket.
“That inter-ministerial committee is now what is going to be charged with the mandate to look at, for instance, hotels. Hotels, in my considered opinion, fall under tourism,” he said.
According to the minister, Yoweri Museveni previously directed the Prime Minister to engage private sector players in Hoima to explore areas where government could support expansion of hospitality infrastructure.
“He directed the Prime Minister to work with the private sector in Hoima to look at areas where government could come in to support them,” Ogwang said, adding that he has attended at least two meetings on the matter.
He pointed to Kabalega Resort as one of the facilities already expanding in anticipation of increased demand.
As the Afcon 2027 countdown gathers pace, attention in Hoima is increasingly shifting from stadium construction to broader logistical readiness — particularly bed capacity, service standards and urban infrastructure needed to host hundreds of officials and thousands of fans.
While government maintains that coordinated planning is underway, the coming months are likely to determine whether Hoima can transform from a fast-growing regional hub into a fully equipped host city for Africa’s biggest football tournament.
