By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
The Ministry of Water and Environment officials and the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Officials have met to discuss how best to enhance weather accuracy for safe skies in the aviation sector.
The commissioner in charge of meteorological services at the Ministry of water and Environment, Dr. Bob Alex Ogwang says in order to enhance safer movement of aircrafts in the skies, his ministry deemed it necessary to engage the management of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority because the two entities work closely adding that meteorological information is required for the aviation sector for their operations.
He made these remarks in Entebbe on August 14th 2025, while addressing stakeholders from the aviation sector including pilots, air traffic controllers, airline operators among others.
Dr. Bob Alex Ogwang, emphasized the relevance of weather information saying it’s needed for landing, take off and route operations.
Ogwang revealed that the government has invested heavily in meteorological services citing the acquisition of very expensive meteorological equipment including weather radars which he says are so expensive to maintain.
He says the country currently has three radars which are expensive to maintain and need a high level of maintenance between Entebbe to ensure operations are very effective.
There are also automotive weather stations spread across the country.
“We recently installed a low level windshear system at the airport which is supporting the aviation sector particularly in detecting windshear -a sudden change in wind direction and speed and this is very common at Entebbe International Airport,” he said.
Dr. Ogwang further revealed with support from the World Meteorological Organization, they hope to establish a real upper air station to maintain the vertical profiles of weather sharing globally so as to ensure there is safety in the air.
The Director General Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), Mr. Fred Bamwesigye, acknowledged the critical role weather plays in aviation safety arguing that weather conditions influence all decisions in airport operations.
“Accidents and incidents happen around weather related factors. Accurate weather is critical hence reliable weather tools are important. Therefore, safety is the major reason why we exist in all forms of aviation. We are optimistic that we will foster coordination and collaboration between weather and aviation,” Mr. Bamwesigye expressed his hope.’
The General Manager Entebbe International Airport, Col. Emmanuel Balungi, said engaging the meteorologists and aviation professionals reflects the authority’s commitment to ensuring that weather related risks are effectively managed through informed decision making , accuracy forecasting and robust communication channels.
“As management we remain committed to supporting initiatives that enhance aviation safety and compliance,” Mr. Balungi stressed.’
The manager in charge of safety management systems at Entebbe International Airport, Mr. Paul Kalemba, admitted that weather and aviation are inseparable revealing that weather is a primary factor affecting flights at the airport.
“Weather is becoming integral part of the airport. Fog can reduce visibility. Meteorology is a greater contributor to safety at the airport,” he said adding that, “at the runway we have a surface movement guidance control system which helps in extreme weather conditions. Given this, we are trying to cover a safety gap.”
