The city of Jinja has partnered with the organisers of the Nyege Nyege Festival to capitalize on business opportunities for the city’s residents and businesses.
As a result, the festival will be held in Jinja from the 9th – 12th of November at four conjoined venues within the city, namely the Source of the Nile; Jinja Showgrounds; Jinja Golf Course and; Source Gardens.
The announcement was made by the Jinja City Mayor, His Worship Peter Kasolo, and other city officials alongside Derek Debru – the founder of Nyege Nyege; Robert Nsibirwa – Marketing Manager, Spirits at Uganda Breweries Limited and; Aly Alibhai – CEO of Talent Africa.
While addressing the press, His Worship Kasolo said, “As the Jinja City Council, we believe that this is an opportunity that has come to the people of Jinja because Nyege Nyege pulls a big number of international revelers from all over the world – who bring in revenue, and I encourage every person and business in Jinja to take advantage of this gathering.”
Last year’s festival, which was held at Itanda Falls, attracted 15,000 attendees – with 10,000 Ugandans, 3,000 Kenyans and 2,000 international guests.
This year, over 400 hotels in Jinja are lined up to provide accommodation for all the guests while hundreds of businesses will directly or indirectly benefit from the festival by offering food, transport and other goods and services to the festival’s attendees.
Derek Debru, the founder of Nyege Nyege, said, “This year’s festival will be a real showcase of community involvement, and how music festivals can spark the imagination and dedication of an entire community and boost the local economy to leave a positive impact.”
Robert Nsibirwa – the Marketing Manager of Spirits at Uganda Breweries Limited, said, “We believe in the power of festivals to showcase the beauty of Uganda while creating a sustainable source of income for individuals within the creative industry. Thanks to Nyege Nyege, these benefits go beyond the creative ecosystem and spill over to the thousands of businesses within Jinja City – which will benefit greatly from the revenue that the festival and its attendees will bring.”