Uganda Airlines has launched air services between Entebbe and Accra, Ghana, in a move expected to strengthen trade, investment, tourism and cultural ties between East and West Africa. The airline’s inaugural flight touched down at Kotoka International Airport in Accra on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, marking the start of a new connection between the two African cities.
The route expands Uganda Airlines’ network to 18 destinations and strengthens Entebbe’s position as a regional aviation hub. The service will initially operate four times a week, with flights passing through Lagos, Nigeria. The new connection is expected to facilitate business travel and improve access to markets across the continent, particularly as Uganda pursues its Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to grow the economy to US$500 billion by 2040.
Speaking at the launch, Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ato Girma Wake said Accra was strategically important to the airline’s expansion into West Africa, but cautioned that the route’s long-term success would depend on its commercial viability. “Let me be blunt: a route is only a promise kept if it is profitable,” Wake said. He emphasised the need to build passenger demand, develop cargo business and strengthen tourism partnerships to ensure the service generates sustainable returns.
Uganda Airlines Board Chairperson Mirembe Serukka said the route would bring East and West Africa closer by creating opportunities for trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange. She noted that stronger air links were essential to African integration, enabling businesses, investors and communities to connect more easily across regional markets.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, described improved air connectivity as a practical way of advancing Africa’s ambitions for economic cooperation and integration. He said the new service would strengthen links between two important commercial centres, with the potential to facilitate business, promote tourism and deepen people-to-people relations.
Ghana’s Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, also underscored the importance of stronger air transport connections in linking people, students, businesses and markets across Africa. Meanwhile, Uganda’s Minister of State for Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, highlighted the route’s potential to connect businesses with consumers, investors with opportunities and tourists with destinations, supporting the country’s broader economic growth ambitions.
Representing Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Richard Kabonero, Head of Regional Economic Cooperation, said aviation was an important pillar of the country’s economic and commercial diplomacy. “When you open aviation links, it really is a pillar of our economic and commercial diplomacy that we are trying to implement,” Kabonero said. He added that Uganda’s diplomatic missions would continue supporting the national carrier’s expansion and efforts to access African markets.
Kabonero was accompanied at the launch by Dr Edith Namutebi of Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria. The Entebbe–Accra connection also carries strategic significance because Accra hosts the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to deepen economic integration and facilitate trade among African countries.
The new service is expected to provide an additional link between East and West Africa, offering passengers more travel options while supporting commercial exchanges between the two regions. For Uganda Airlines, the route represents another step in expanding its continental footprint. Its success, however, will depend on the airline’s ability to attract sufficient passenger traffic, grow cargo volumes, and translate improved connectivity into lasting economic benefits for Uganda and its regional partners-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
