Dr James Musinguzi and the High-Stakes Test at Uganda Wildlife Authority With Uganda targeting a fourfold rise in tourism earnings to $4 billion by the 2029/30 financial year, and more than 75% of tourism demand anchored in wildlife and nature, the performance of the Uganda Wildlife Authority is now more than ever inseparable from the country’s tourism ambitions. But official reports flag declining flagship species, governance weaknesses, and growing reliance on tourism revenue to fund conservation. Less than a year into office, Dr James Musinguzi faces mounting pressure to restore confidence and safeguard Uganda’s wildlife base.

Dr James Musinguzi’s Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) sits at the core of Uganda’s ambition to radically scale its tourism economy. Under the Uganda National Tourism Policy (2025), the government is targeting a fourfold expansion in tourism foreign exchange earnings, from $1.025 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to $4 billion by the 2029/30 financial year, alongside a rise in domestic tourism expenditure from UGX 3.7 trillion to UGX 5.4 trillion over the same period. These are not incremental goals; they represent one of the most aggressive growth bets in Uganda’s medium-term economic strategy. The centrality of UWA to this ambition…