Ambassador Adonia Ayebare officially assumed office as Uganda’s new Foreign Affairs Minister on Wednesday, pledging to tackle long-standing administrative and operational challenges at the ministry.
Arriving late for his first press briefing at the Wapakabulo Auditorium, Ayebare nonetheless struck a confident tone: “I am here to fix issues at Foreign Affairs,” he declared.
Ayebare, who began his career as a third secretary before rising to serve as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, said his experience gives him a clear grasp of the ministry’s strengths and weaknesses. “I think this ministry is very easy to fix. It has the best people in the government,” he noted.
He emphasized the need for faster support to Uganda’s missions abroad, warning that internal disputes undermine commercial diplomacy. He also called for performance charters to hold ambassadors accountable, citing his own push for such frameworks while at the UN.
Ayebare highlighted past successes in attracting major investors despite limited resources, pointing to Boeing and Elon Musk’s Starlink as examples of companies persuaded to invest in Uganda.
Outgoing acting minister Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo urged Ayebare to improve coordination, particularly in documenting investment leads generated by missions abroad. Kasolo warned that poor information sharing has left the ministry’s contributions undervalued.
Ayebare concluded by stressing a return to the basics of diplomacy: building and sustaining relationships, protecting Ugandans abroad, and strengthening ties with host countries.
