ADDIS ABABA — The Ugandan Embassy in Ethiopia has launched a high-profile push to draw Ethiopian athletes and tourists to this year’s Tusker Rwenzori Marathon, staging a promotional run at Entoto Park that attracted more than 500 participants, including runners, tourism industry figures, journalists, and diplomats.
The event forms part of a broader campaign by the Embassy to use sport as a tool of economic diplomacy, tying into Uganda’s Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Strategy, its Tenfold Growth Strategy, and the government’s 4ATMS framework — all aimed at advancing the country’s Vision 2040 development agenda.
Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working through its missions abroad, is an official partner of the marathon under its Sports Diplomacy Program. Because the race carries international certification, times recorded on its course count toward qualification for global competitions, including the Olympics, and toward official record books.
Speaking on behalf of Uganda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, First Secretary Daphine Teddy Nyanduri said Ethiopia’s stature in long-distance running made it a natural partner for the marathon. She said the event was part of a wider effort to position Uganda as a premier sports and adventure tourism destination, and described sports diplomacy as an increasingly effective way to promote tourism, investment, cultural exchange, and regional integration.
Marathon founder Amos Wekesa praised the Embassy for deepening its collaboration with the private sector to showcase Uganda’s tourism offerings. He invited Ethiopians and the wider international community to take part in the race, scheduled for 22 August 2026 in Kasese, calling it a chance to experience Uganda’s landscapes, culture, and hospitality firsthand. He said the partnership between diplomatic missions and private organizers illustrated how such collaborations can drive tourism and economic development.
The activation appeared to strike a chord with participants. One runner, Ashu Z-Arada, said that although Uganda had long been known to them as the “Pearl of Africa,” meeting Ugandans directly during the event had inspired a desire to visit the country in person.
The run followed an earlier initiative by the Embassy: a ten-day familiarization tour to Uganda in May 2026 for Ethiopian tour operators, media influencers, and prospective investors, which officials say is already translating into tangible economic outcomes.
Financial Attaché Robert Sembule said sports tourism initiatives like the Rwenzori Marathon were central to Uganda’s economic diplomacy, helping to attract investment, build business partnerships, and raise the country’s international profile.
Margaret Kafeero, the Embassy’s Head of Public Diplomacy, highlighted the marathon’s 2024 certification by World Athletics as a landmark moment, noting it placed the race among a select group of certified marathons globally.
“Since 2024, the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon is currently the only Ugandan-run event certified by the World Athletics Federation, making it a world-class marathon that puts Uganda on the international stage,” Kafeero said, adding that the Foreign Ministry, through its missions, works to boost international runner and influencer participation as part of both its sports diplomacy efforts and its broader push to market Uganda as a top global tourism destination.
The marathon activation coincided with another milestone in Uganda-Ethiopia relations: the country’s first export of value-added, processed beef to Ethiopia. Ranchers Finest Ltd is set to supply roughly 20 tonnes of premium meat products each month to Ethiopia’s Diamond Hotel and Restaurant Group.
Officials at the Embassy said the shipment underscores the expanding trade relationship between the two nations, and reaffirmed their commitment to using tourism, trade, investment, and strategic partnerships under the 4ATMS framework to strengthen Uganda-Ethiopia ties and support Uganda’s broader socio-economic transformation.
