33rd UNAA Convention: Ugandans urged to work together

Sep 05, 2021

The Trade and Investment Forum accommodated key business-related interactions.

Uganda Mission staff manage the embassy information desk at the Hyatt Regency. (Credit: Ugandan embassy in Washington)

Vision Reporter
Journalist @New Vision

DIPLOMACY

A delegation from the Uganda Embassy in Washington led by Amb. Mull Ssebujja Katende, is participating in the 33rd Uganda North American Association (UNAA) Convention in the Queen City of Cincinnati in Ohio, USA downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The five-day convention, which got under way on Thursday (September 2), is running until Monday.

The event, which traditionally takes place over the US Labour Day Weekend, brings together almost 1,000 Ugandans living both in the US and Canada. 

A Trade and Investment Forum, business exhibitions, tourism and cultural promotion events and entertainment by artists from Uganda are part of the buildup to this grand get-together.

A signature boat cruise also features.

The UNAA Convention takes place in a different US city every year and is always embraced by US local authorities for its capacity to boost the hotel revenues in the host cities.

Foreign affairs ministry officials say that participation of Uganda's mission in Washington primarily focuses on organizing the Trade and Investment Forum under the embassy's commercial diplomacy mandate as well as the provision of consular services such as national ID enrollment and collection, dual citizenship and passport renewal advisory services and tourism, cultural and public diplomacy promotion.

On Friday, the Trade and Investment Forum took place in a hybrid (physical and virtual) format, and featured discussions and interactions between members of the Ugandan diaspora and major trade business and finance sector players in Uganda. 

In his opening remarks, Uganda's envoy to Washington Katende urged the Ugandan business community to emulate other East African communities in the US and focus on ways and means to work together to grow their businesses rather than operate individually with very little impact.

Ambassador Katende urged Ugandans in the diaspora to work together

Ambassador Katende urged Ugandans in the diaspora to work together


Katende reminded the participants of the investment incentives available in Uganda which are already being taken advantage of by US companies and are seeing returns on investments. 

Katende also encouraged the Ugandans to form similar companies and assured them of the Embassy's readiness to share information and guidance on how to do business in Uganda.

Economic and commercial diplomacy officer Michael Bulwaka made a presentation on the different US facilities available for Ugandans who wish to do business with the US.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Public Diplomacy Unit, the city of Cincinnati offered the Town square to the UNAA for free tourism and cultural promotion of Uganda. Participants were offered free exhibition space to brand Uganda and the stage for cultural entertainment.

Some of the key highlights included two Ugandan coffee companies, Endiro Coffee and Coffee City, offering samples of green, roasted, ground and brewed Uganda coffees.

Endiro Coffee and Coffee City on display

Endiro Coffee and Coffee City on display


Other events scheduled for the holiday weekend include soccer matches and the UNAA Annual General Meeting and election of a new executive board.

 

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