The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Uganda have formally agreed to establish the WFP Global Fleet Hub in Kampala, positioning the capital as a continental logistics hub for humanitarian response across Africa.
Under the agreement, Uganda will host WFP’s emergency response fleet and manage a large-scale logistics bureau. A key feature of the pact is the introduction of distinctive UN/WFP licence plates, designed to enable vehicles to move seamlessly across borders without the delays associated with repeated registration. This, officials say, will significantly speed up aid delivery and disaster response.
At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Charles Ssentongo, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the move recognises Uganda’s growing role as a humanitarian hub: “By hosting the WFP Global Fleet Hub, we are extending our humanitarian leadership beyond our borders.”
He added that the hub would create jobs and build skills in logistics and fleet management for Ugandans.
WFP’s Country Director for Uganda, Marcus Prior, said the Global Fleet Hub will allow the agency to respond more rapidly and efficiently to humanitarian crises across the continent: “When conflict displaces populations in the Great Lakes region, Kampala will become the launch point for a coordinated response.”
Uganda was selected for the hub because of its strategic geographic location, its robust transport infrastructure, and its existing record in logistics and humanitarian operations — including in 2024, when WFP delivered nearly 174,000 tons of food to over two million people within Uganda and beyond.
The deployment of the new neutral fleet plates and establishment of the Global Fleet Hub mark major steps toward reducing bureaucratic hurdles in cross-border humanitarian aid delivery — a move expected to speed up responses to emergencies, disasters, and refugee crises across East and Central Africa.
This agreement strengthens Uganda’s position as a regional logistics and humanitarian coordination centre, while reaffirming WFP’s commitment to delivering timely, effective assistance across the continent.
