President Yoweri Museveni has directed Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister for Agriculture to allocate Turkish firm Beyler Group, 15 acres of land in Entebbe for the construction of a hospital.

In his June 20th letter to Tumwebaze, Museveni says the Turkish Investment Group has committed to building a modern private hospital in Uganda. “They intended to promote medical tourism in Uganda. The more of such hospitals we can have, the better for our health sector,” read Museveni’s letter.

Adding that, “I, therefore, direct you to allocate them land from the agriculture land in Entebbe for this purpose.” The development comes over a month after Museveni met a six-man delegation of Beyler Group officials led by Dr. Hulusi the Sogutlu Chief Executive Officer on May 25 at State House, Entebbe.

During the meeting, the officials expressed interest in investing in Agriculture, Health, Water, and Hitech Defence Systems mainly drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The officials told Museveni they needed 15 acres of land to set up a hospital in Entebbe and Kampala areas. They also want to set up among others a coffee processing factory to roast and grind beans, a radiotherapy center in Mbarara, and a factory that manufactures water and oil meters.

The group told Museveni that the company has already set up a PCR diagnostic center for COVID-19, Tuberculosis, HIV, and Gonorrhea in Bugolobi, Kampala. Museveni promised to look into their proposals. The Ministry of Agriculture land in Entebbe municipality currently houses its head offices, directorates, and agencies namely the National Agricultural Research Organisation-NARO and National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB).

Charlotte Kemigyisha, the agriculture ministry spokesperson was yet to confirm whether the ministry was in receipt of the president’s letter by the time of filing this story.