Uganda has been announced as the next host of the Africa Society for Blood Transfusion conference planned for 1st to 4th March 2024.
The news was announced by the African Society for Blood Transfusion after a successful bid was accepted by the Uganda Blood Transfusion Society with the technical help of Uganda’s Convention Bureau, which is a unit of the Uganda Tourism Board(UTB).
It is estimated that this convention will contribute to the country’s GDP to the tune of $0.6 million. The conference will attract approximately 500 delegates, with 75% coming from across the African continent and 25% outside Africa from international markets including Europe and Asia.
The UTB Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Lilly Ajarova, was delighted to receive the news. “We are working relentlessly to ensure Uganda becomes a conference destination market. This is an indicator that the efforts have begun to bear fruit. The Uganda Convention Bureau’s target between 2022 and 2025 is to attract 130 business events in the region with a value of $100 million to Uganda through such bidding activities. This certainly should be the beginning of making meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) a key product for the country.”
She noted that in 2019, the International Congress & Conference Association (ICCA) had ranked Uganda 6th in Africa for hosting international association conferences and the target was to improve Uganda’s ranking to be among the top 5 destinations in Africa.
The Uganda Convention Bureau partners with different Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Professional Associations, and Universities to increase business events through the bidding process. The Bureau targets regional and international government and non-government conferences that are held periodically and rotate across the globe in order to contribute to the economic impact of Uganda.
The UTB Board Chairman, Hon. Daudi Migereko, appreciated the efforts of the Bureau in working in partnership with other agencies to bring business to the country. He underscored the need to ensure Uganda becomes a major hub for conferences in the region and pledged support for mainstream policies that enable the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events to function under UTB to be well equipped to deliver on its mandate.
Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire Director of Uganda Blood Transfusion Service congratulated the team on the successful bid to host the AfSBT. “UBTS pledges to make this a successful event with support from the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders.
“By hosting this congress, the UBTS shall benefit through participation in scientific write-ups, medical research, and knowledge exchange, thereby gaining recognition for its contribution to science,” she added.