Agness Nandutu
16 October 2007
Parliament — THE Commonwealth Heads of Governments Business Forum will hire an executive tent from Dubai at $400,000 (about Shs702 million) to accommodate 1,000 participants.
The Chairman of the Chogm Business Forum, Dr James Mulwana, told the Parliamentary select committee on Chogm yesterday that the tent would be planted at Sheraton Kampala Hotel where the participants would discuss business.
"This is a very executive tent which has all facilities. It looks like any other conference room because it has the carpets, air conditioners, ceiling and everything that you find in a conference," he said.
The Chogm Business Forum that will be hosted at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel from November 20-22 is a major international business event, which will bring together 1,000 government and business leaders from the Commonwealth and beyond.
The forum promotes trade practices, policies and provides new opportunities for business networking and partnership.
It will also highlight Uganda and East Africa's advantages, opportunities and position as a trade and investment hub. The MPs, however, said it would be viable to put up a structure worth $400,000 that could be used after chogm rather than hiring a tent.
But Mr Mulwana defended the move. "It's true that it is not viable to hire a tent at this much but we had the challenge of time," he said. Mr Mulwana, who is also the chairman of Private Sector Foundation Uganda, told MPs that the although the government gave them $100,000 to organise the Chogm Business Forum, they would use about $2 million.
He, however said they would make do with what the government offered them. "We don't need any money from the government but we appreciate the support. We as business people can do it on our own," he said.
He said all the money that would be used to organise the business forum was solicited from the business community. He said East African participants are paying $500 while other members will pay between $750-1,000.
"We are also lucky that we have been given the chance to host 30 participants free of charge from East African countries," he said.
"15 will come from Uganda. This is a very big opportunity because it has never happened anywhere before. Not any where in the history of chogm have participants attended a business forum free of charge. It was a big struggle which we must appreciate," he said.
Some of the confirmed speakers at the forum are host President Yoweri Museveni, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, Mozambique President Armando Guebuza, His Highness the Aga Khan and African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka among others.
Mr Mulwana said they have given business people who have good houses the opportunity to accommodate some of the participants.
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