Norway, a country known for its substantial aid to Uganda, is set to close its embassy in Kampala, Uganda, as part of a broader restructuring of its Foreign Service. This decision was announced by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released on Friday, October 13, 2023. The closure also includes the Consulate General in Guangzhou, China.
The decision to close the embassy in Uganda and the consulate in China is a result of the ongoing structural reforms within Norway’s Foreign Service. This reform process aims to concentrate and consolidate resources to better serve Norwegian national interests and enhance the effectiveness of Norway’s international engagement. While some locations will see an increase in Norway’s diplomatic presence, painful drawdowns are necessary in other places.
Norway’s Foreign Minister, Ms. Anniken Huitfeldt, emphasized the need to have diplomats stationed where they can monitor global issues with implications for Norway and promote Norwegian positions effectively. She stated that this decision is part of a broader process to assess and adapt the organization of the foreign service to safeguard Norwegian foreign and development policy priorities. As a result, Norway will have fewer but more robust foreign service missions.
The move to close the embassy in Kampala is solely based on overall administrative assessments related to the need for reallocating the foreign service’s resources. Diplomat positions from the closed missions in Uganda and China will be redirected to increase staffing at other Norwegian diplomatic and consular missions.
To strengthen its efforts in priority areas such as food security, business development, and regional security in Africa, more diplomatic staff will be posted to Norwegian Embassies in Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, and Nairobi. The Embassy in Beirut will receive a new diplomatic position dedicated to working with aid to Syria.
The closure of the Norwegian Embassy in Kampala will not affect the strong and longstanding partnership between Uganda and Norway. Development cooperation will continue, with a substantial portion of aid already being administered by the Norwegian development agency, Norad. Future cooperation will be managed by Norad and another mission in the region, which is yet to be determined. Support through Norwegian and international NGOs, as well as the UN and other multilateral channels, will also continue.
In 2022, Uganda received approximately Shs132.3 billion earmarked for projects in key priority areas like civil society, education, energy, refugees, and women’s rights as part of the substantial aid provided by Norway.
