pressug.com News 24 7
Related Articles
In a recent cabinet reshuffle, Peter Ogwang retained his docket as Minister of State for Sports.
This is good for the sports fraternity, because he has fairly done well. Going by reports from the Local Organizing Committee regarding preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), that Ogwang is spearheading, things are moving in the right direction.
Since replacing Denis Hamson Obua on July 22, 2022, Ogwang has proved to be a step forward from his predecessors in my view. First, his constant updates to the public through parliament or press conferences about the progress of the PAMOJA 2027 Afcon preparations and other sports events has been vital.
This has proved how important communication is, in his docket. Some have considered the vocal minister simply lucky since a host of things have happened during his tenure in the Sports office. Take an example of the prestigious Afcon.
The Afcon last took place in the East African, or better still, Cecafa region way back in 1976. At the time, Ethiopia were the hosts. Therefore, Ogwang’s role in bringing Afcon back to East Africa, something that was preceded by also hosting the Africa Nations Championship (Chan 2024), too, last year, cannot be underestimated.
By the time Ogwang came into office, the National Council of Sports (NCS) was operating on a shoestring budget of Shs 26 billion. But barely a year in office, Ogwang managed to lobby for a bigger budget for Sports, which grew to Shs 47.8 billion in the 2022/2023 financial year.
This was an increment of about 81%. Of course, that is not to say that there have not been other stakeholders who also played a big role for this increment of the sports budget to be realized. But without a proactive minister, the results would never have been profound.
As we talk now, the sports budget has hit almost a trillion shillings for the 2026/2027 financial year (the biggest part of this fund is ring-fenced for the preparations of the PAMOJA TotalEnergies Afcon 2027).
Yet, as Ogwang has intermittently said, government’s focus is on infrastructure preparedness, while covering other key areas as hospitality, safety, and security among others. A major case in point is the Teryet National High-Altitude Performance Centre in Kapchorwa.
Although this centre’s completion had stalled, dating back to 2010 when government promised to construct one, in December 2024, President Yoweri Museveni commissioned it. Ogwang was instrumental in ensuring that government put resources in it for its completion.
The bigger allocation of government resources to sports under Ogwang’s tenure has boosted success in athletics, cricket, rugby, netball, swimming and table tennis among others.
CHALLENGES AWAIT OGWANG
That said, there still remains work to do on Ogwang’s part as Sports minister. The immediate challenge Ogwang is facing is the June 7 deadline, which was set by National Council of Sports (NCS) for the registration of all sports federations and associations to meet the statutory requirements under the new national Sports Act 2023.
Failure to meet the above requirements, NCS threatened to revoke certificates of recognition for all federations and associations. This will also mean missing out on the government funding.
This is a critical area where Ogwang has to work hard to see to it that, there is a win- win situation between NCS and the sports federations and associations. But the elephant in the room is the PAMOJA TotalEnergies Afcon 2027.
The minister has to do more to ensure that the country delivers a successful event. Before that, Ogwang must also see to it that the country’s preparation for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games slated for July 23 to August 2, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland are up to scratch.
Without more medals, It will be disappointing. In the 2022 games in Birmingham, Uganda came sixteenth overall with five medals (three gold, one silver and one bronze). This was a decline in performance compared to how Uganda performed at the Gold Coast in Australia.
Then, Uganda finished fifteenth with six medals. So, the minister, in conjunction with NCS and Uganda Olympic Committee must ensure improvement in areas where the country is not doing well.
Lastly, Ogwang should see to it that federations and associations share the government funds fairy. It is disheartening to see that some federations are getting limited funds compared to other disciplines.
I can go on and on about how well Ogwang has performed as a sports minister. But there is still more for him to do, before we can carry him shoulder high!
Related
, https://observer.ug/sports/minister-ogwang-has-done-well-but-sports-still-wants-more/
