The UAE emirate of Sharjah has agreed a memorandum of understanding to build an airport in Uganda near the Kidepo Valley National Park.

The agreement in principle was signed on Thursday between Sharjah’s chamber of commerce and a number of Ugandan government departments, including the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority.

The ceremony was also attended by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.

Chairman of the Sharjah chamber, Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, told the president that work on the airport could begin as early as August.

President Museveni noted in a post on Twitter/X that Uganda had improved its relations with the Gulf countries in recent years.

The Kidepo Valley National Park covers 1,442 sq km in the Karamoja region in northeast Uganda. At present, relatively few tourists visit it – around 13,000 a year – and it is hoped that the airport will increase that number.

The reports did not say how large the airport would be, or how much it would cost to build. At present the park has an “upcountry” facility with one unpaved runway.