Uganda’s Mbarara International Airport Set to Become Africa’s Largest Airport

President Yoweri Museveni recently ordered government ministries to clear the way for construction of what is set to become the largest airport in Africa at the Nyakisharara aerodrome on the outskirts of Mbarara City, a move that has stirred excitement across the Ankole sub-region.

In a letter dated February 11, 2026 and addressed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Mr Museveni instructed the Ministries of Works and Transport, Lands, Finance, and the Attorney General’s office to facilitate a private investor, Base Seven Company, to develop what he called a “mega transport project” at the government aerodrome near Mbarara.

The project would cover 21 square kilometres of land and include two main runways each measuring 5.5 kilometres, plus a 3.7-kilometre reserve strip for VIP flights. That scale would make it the biggest airport on the African continent, dwarfing even the likes of O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg and Cairo International Airport.

Mr Museveni framed the proposal around shifting global trade. He argued that growing commerce between China and Brazil has created demand for a more direct flight path, and that Nyakisharara sits at a strategic point that could cut travel time between the two countries from between 34 and 42 hours to around 20 hours.

“It takes nine hours from South America to Nyakisharara and 11 hours from Nyakisharara to China,” the President wrote in his directive. “Why such a big airport at the hitherto remote area of Uganda? It is all on account of the way the Globe was arranged by God and the new phenomenon of the unfolding global affluence.”

The airport would be financed under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement, with Base Seven Company and its backers, including financial giant BlackRock, putting up the construction money and recovering costs through user fees before handing control back to government after an agreed period. Hotels and other commercial facilities would also be built on site.

Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi welcomed the directive, saying Mr Museveni was delivering on promises made to the people of Ankole. Residents in surrounding areas shared that optimism. Benon Babyeyangira, a coffee and banana farmer from Bubare Sub-county, said the news had already changed how people around him were thinking.

“We need to work hard to have what to sell when the airport opens,” Mr Babyeyangira said.

Mbarara City Woman MP Ritah Atukwasa also welcomed the announcement and called on government to develop roads, accommodation, and other supporting infrastructure alongside the airport to maximise its impact on the region.

Once complete, the airport is expected to handle both regional and international routes, positioning Uganda as a key transit hub linking Latin America and Asia while boosting economic growth across the Ankole and Kigezi sub-regions. Construction is expected to be completed by 2030 under the government’s Party and Term Oriented Delivery initiative.