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Embassy of Norway to officially close next week

Peter 25th Jul, 2024 Economy Business Edge Reporter
Embassy of Norway to officially close next week

GOOD BYE: Anne Kristin Hermansen, the outgoing Ambassador of Norway to Uganda, bid farewell to Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odong last week.


Ugandans are set to feel the pinch as of lost jobs and business services as the Norwegian Embassy in Kampala officially closes its doors next week on July 31.

Anne Kristin Hermansen, the Ambassador of Norway to Uganda, has week formally bid her farewells to Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and confirmed that the Embassy’s services would be relocated to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania where it will also serve Rwanda and Burundi.

“The Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will take over responsibilities for Uganda, with regular visits planned by the Norwegian Ambassador to engage with officials and stakeholders,” she said, adding however that they may establish an Honorary Consulate in Kampala to provide diplomatic and consular services to Ugandans.

  • Norway explained that the move is part of the structural reforms they are undertaking in a bid to better serve Norwegian national interests, and to increase the effectiveness of the Nordic country’s international engagement.

Over the decades, the Norway has been one of Uganda’s leading development partners. In 2022, Uganda received NOK 382 million (about USD34 million, UGX126 billion) from Norway, down from 1.4 billion NOK (USD126 million, UGX450 billion) in 2020, to support priority areas such as civil society, education, energy, refugees and human rights.

According to the country’s International Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, they will continue to invest significantly in development cooperation with Uganda through its civil society partners and multilateral organisations, even though the embassy is closing.

  • “We will also maintain our engagement in promoting human rights in the country, particularly the rights of women and minorities,” she said.
Embassy of Norway to officially close next weekSome of the Embassy employees pose for a photo at their farewell party in Kampala.

While Norway insists that the closure of the embassy is based solely on overall administrative assessments related to the need for reallocation of the foreign service's resources, the effects would be felt as the embassy was employing dozens of Ugandans in its various departments, leave alone being a major consumer of Ugandan products and services.

Norway has been involved in development cooperation with Uganda for decades, supporting various sectors such as education, health, and governance.

NORAD, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, has been involved in various activities and initiatives in Uganda aimed at promoting sustainable development, reducing poverty, and supporting good governance.

However, the officials explained that their development assistance to Uganda would continue being channeled through NORAD and the Embassy in Tanzania, as well as through international NGOs.

  • Norway has over the decades mainly focused on sustainable management of natural resources, including forestry, water resources, and biodiversity conservation, especially efforts to promote environmental sustainability and mitigate climate change impacts.
  • However, like other western countries, it has often rubbed the Uganda government the wrong way by supporting programs aimed at strengthening democratic governance, promoting human rights, and giving financial support to civil society organizations and initiatives that fight corruption.

Analysts say countries may choose to close their embassies as part of a move to shift their diplomatic focus to different regions or to prioritize relations with certain countries over others based on geopolitical considerations or foreign policy objectives.

It is not yet clear whether there is any other western country that is likely to follow suit and relocate its embassy from Uganda.

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