Bridging worlds: Turning diaspora strength and migrant resilience into shared prosperity
Amb. Walusimbi says Uganda’s generosity in hosting African brothers and sisters fleeing conflict remains a magnificent badge of honour. That welcome is even stronger when it is joined to an economic strategy that creates livelihoods and shared growth. Remittances have already shown what Ugandans abroad can do for their country.
Amb. Abbey Walusimbi
By Amb. Abbey Walusimbi
Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs and Ambassador at Large Uganda has every reason to speak of its diaspora with quiet pride.
For decades, Ugandans living and working abroad have stood with their families and with the nation.
In the twelve months leading up to March 2026 they channelled up to USD 2.8 billion back home.
That money pays school fees, keeps households afloat, steadies communities and remains one of our most reliable sources of foreign exchange. It is a foundation of national strength.
The task before us now is to build on that achievement so that the same patriotism also deepens skills transfer, investment and inclusive growth.
On 16 September 2026, that purpose brought us together at the Twin Tower Conference Hall at the Office of the President Headquarters in Kampala.
Under the theme “Bridging Worlds: Diaspora and Forced
Migrants for Shared Prosperity,” Heads of Mission, Honourable Ministers, the Secretary to the Office of the President, Senior officials, Leaders of diaspora communities, representatives of forced migrant communities, development partners and friends of Uganda sat in the same room.
Among the diplomatic representatives present were the European Union Delegation Political Advisor Toke Arnold and a representative from the British Council, whose participation underscored the international interest in Uganda’s people-centred approach to migration and diaspora engagement.
Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans live and work outside our borders. Many others have moved within the country in search of opportunity.
Uganda continues to host one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. Growing numbers of our own migrant workers are returning home, especially from the Middle East, and need support to rebuild their lives, including citizens repatriated from South Africa and Kenya.
All of these people are part of the Ugandan story.
The conference was convened to connect them in practical ways, so that the knowledge, networks, skills and resources of the Ugandan diaspora can open doors for forced migrants and returnees, and so that the resilience of those who have been displaced or have returned is recognised and supported.
Opening the gathering on the instruction of His Excellency President
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babalanda, reminded us that national development must be inclusive.
It must recognise the value of our people in the diaspora and respond with dignity to those who have been forced to move.
She honoured the scale of diaspora support already flowing into the country and challenged Ugandans living abroad to invest still more of their skills, technology, partnerships and capital in Uganda’s economic transformation.
She also spoke clearly about the duties that accompany belonging: members of the diaspora must respect Uganda’s laws just as they are expected to respect the laws of their host countries, and forced migrants whose stay has not yet been regularised were encouraged to work with the authorities to obtain the required legal status.
Speaking for the Office of the President Diaspora Affairs, I set out four modest, achievable outcomes we sought by the end of the day: a clearer understanding of the real challenges and opportunities faced by diaspora communities, returnees and forced migrants; a short list of practical ideas for livelihoods, skills transfer, mentorship and reintegration, including linkages with the National Return and Reintegration Framework; stronger coordination among the institutions that handle these issues; and a small number of realistic next steps that we can help facilitate together.
Behind every discussion were real Ugandan families, those receiving remittances, returnees trying to restart livelihoods, forced migrants seeking stability, and host communities sharing resources and space.
A defining international contribution came from H.E. Ambassador Etsegenet Bezabih Yimenu of Ethiopia. She reminded us that in Ethiopia the diaspora is treated as an indispensable pillar of national development, national identity and cultural diplomacy.
Through the Ethiopian Diaspora Service, the government has built structured bridges of inclusion, empowerment and protection.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam stands as living proof of what collective financial patriotism can achieve.
Ambassador Yimenu was equally clear on forced migrants: they are not passive recipients of aid.
They possess talents, resilience, skills and entrepreneurial vigour. When diaspora networks actively partner with them through mentorship, skills transfer, seed funding and business networks, vulnerability is converted into productivity and shared prosperity. Ethiopia’s experience offers lessons we can adapt to our own context.
The conclusions of the conference now give the nation a clear program of work. Diaspora communities committed to channel a greater share of resources into skills transfer, technology and capital investments that support national development priorities, including social protection for the elderly and persons with disabilities, education bursaries and urban development in Kampala.
This does not diminish the household remittances that already stand at roughly USD 2.8 billion; it builds upon them.
Government and diaspora stakeholders resolved to finalise and operationalise the comprehensive Diaspora Policy, improve coordination between the Office of the President Diaspora Affairs, relevant Ministries and missions abroad, and create clearer pathways for diaspora participation in national programs.
Relevant authorities resolved to accelerate the regularisation processes for forced migrants in line with Ugandan law, expand support for returnees, and uphold the dignity and rights of all Ugandans at home, abroad or returning.
Special recognition is due to Ambassador Johnny Muthahi Muhindo, Head of the Diaspora Services Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His steady commitment helped make the conference a success, and the current drive to finalise the National Diaspora Policy rests in important part on the work of both our departments. In our conversations around the conference, Ambassador Muhindo emphasised that the policy is not merely a document on a shelf.
It is the practical framework that will allow Ugandans outside the country to invest, transfer skills and stay connected through clear and dependable state structures.
He explained that the draft policy has been carefully designed around several interlocking pillars: facilitating structured diaspora investment beyond household remittances; creating systematic channels for skills and technology transfer; protecting the rights and welfare of Ugandans abroad while supporting those who return; strengthening the capacity of our missions to serve as effective bridges; and ensuring coherent coordination across government so that diaspora engagement is no longer fragmented.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs team has been circulating the draft widely among diaspora associations on every continent, gathering detailed feedback on practical barriers, ranging from land acquisition and banking procedures to professional licensing and dual engagement with host countries.
They have also benchmarked successful approaches from sister countries, including Ethiopia’s dedicated Diaspora Service and other regional models, to ensure Uganda’s framework is both ambitious and realistic.
Once finalised and operationalised, the policy will give concrete expression to the resolutions of 16 September: clearer investment facilitation platforms, stronger linkages with the National Return and Reintegration Framework, and structured partnerships that allow diaspora networks to support livelihoods, mentorship and social protection for vulnerable groups.
That work continues, and it is essential if the resolutions of the conference are to move from dialogue into delivery.
These formal processes are strengthened by the living connections that diaspora communities themselves continue to build. One recent and encouraging example was the successfully concluded Diaspora Unity Marathon.
The event brought together Ugandans from different countries, professions and generations for a day of sport, camaraderie and purposeful networking.
Beyond the physical challenge, participants used the occasion to exchange ideas on investment opportunities, skills-transfer initiatives and practical ways of supporting returnees and forced migrant communities.
The marathon demonstrated, in a simple and joyful way, that shared activity can create the trust and personal relationships on which larger partnerships depend.
Its success reinforces the same spirit that animated our conference: the belief that when the diaspora gathers, whether on a running track or in a conference hall, new bridges of solidarity and practical cooperation become possible.
The conference was formally closed by the State Minister for Labour, Hon. Simon Mulongo.
In his closing remarks, he focused on the labour-externalised diaspora, the many Ugandans who have gone abroad under formal and informal labour arrangements, particularly to the Middle East and other regions.
He underscored that these workers form a vital part of Uganda’s diaspora story.
Their earnings sustain families and contribute significantly to national foreign exchange inflows, yet too many still face challenges of protection, fair contracts, skills recognition and smooth reintegration upon return.
Hon. Mulongo called for stronger coordination between labour externalisation frameworks, diaspora engagement structures and the National Return and Reintegration Framework so that migrant workers are not left on the margins of policy.
He stressed that orderly, safe and rights-based labour migration, combined with practical support for returnees, must remain central to our shared prosperity agenda.
His message reinforced the conference’s core purpose: every Ugandan abroad, whether professional, entrepreneur or labour migrant, belongs in the national development conversation.
Uganda’s generosity in hosting African brothers and sisters fleeing conflict remains a magnificent badge of honour.
That welcome is even stronger when it is joined to an economic strategy that creates livelihoods and shared growth. Remittances have already shown what Ugandans abroad can do for their country.
If we join the capital, skills and market networks of the diaspora with the resilience of returnees and migrant communities, we shall keep families secure and create a self-sustaining engine for inclusive development.
The high-level dialogue at the Twin Towers has drawn the roadmap. The work of building these physical and financial bridges can now proceed with confidence, unity and care. On behalf of our visionary leader, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, I thank every participant who made the day possible.
The task ahead is clear: turn the patriotism that already sends home USD 2.8 billion into structured investment, skills transfer and genuine partnership so that no Ugandan, wherever they are, is left behind.