Uganda has announced a three-month visa fee waiver for all international visitors around the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, as the country seeks to draw between 500,000 and 650,000 tourists to the East African nation during the tournament it is co-hosting with Kenya and Tanzania.
The waiver was confirmed on April 7, 2026, at a press conference at the Kampala Media Centre by Dennis Mugimba, chairperson of the AFCON local communications and signage subcommittee and spokesperson for Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports. “The government has also committed to waiving visa fees for all visitors to Uganda for a period of three months, beginning one month before the month of AFCON, covering the tournament month itself, and continuing for one month after the final match. During that three-month window, all visitors coming to Uganda will be exempt from visa fees,” Mugimba said.
The tournament runs from June 19 to July 18, 2027. Officials project it will generate at least UGX1.9trn in tourism and related spending.
Mugimba also confirmed that Uganda is pursuing a joint “PAMOJA visa” with Kenya and Tanzania to allow easier movement of fans and visitors across all three host countries. “To facilitate the ease of movement of fans and guests during the tournament, the Government is pursuing the option of a special purpose joint PAMOJA visa with Kenya and Tanzania during the tournament,” he said.
Uganda has committed UGX905bn ($243mn) toward tournament preparations, approved by President Yoweri Museveni. Key allocations include UGX213.76bn for road upgrades around Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) and Hoima City Stadium, UGX184.9bn for a new international passenger terminal at Kabalega Airport, UGX101.1bn to support hotel development in Hoima and Masindi, and UGX91.05bn to upgrade health facilities including Hoima Regional Referral Hospital to meet CAF standards.
The two main competition venues and eight training facilities are expected to be ready by January 2027. Uganda has also said lessons from the co-hosted CHAN tournament in August 2025 are shaping its AFCON preparations.
The government has allocated UGX37.85bn to marketing Destination Uganda as part of the broader PAMOJA 2027 brand, framing the visa waiver as a long-term tourism gateway rather than a one-off incentive