Fruitful engagements at inaugural Uganda Diaspora Convention in Dar

The first Uganda Diaspora Convention in Tanzania has been described as a unifying event that celebrates national pride, shared heritage and collective progress.

The convention was held on Friday (May 23) at Johari Rotana Hotel in Dar es Salaam.

It was rganized by the Uganda High Commission in Dar es Salaam in partnership with the Association of the Uganda Community in Tanzania (AUCT), and was themed 'Harnessing the diaspora potential for socio-economic transformation: strengthening Uganda-Tanzania ties'.

With more than 200 participants from MDAs, the private sector, students, and diaspora leaders in attendance, the meeting explored economic and investment opportunities as well as bolstered Uganda-Tanzania relations.

Participants attending a session during the first Uganda Diaspora Convention in Dar es Salaam. (Credit: X/Uganda High Commission in Dar es Salaam)

It also fostered Africa diaspora-led development.

Amb. Charles Ssentongo, the Chief of Protocol at Uganda's foreign affairs ministry, officially opened the meeting. He represented the ministry's permanent secretary, Vincent Waiswa Bagiire.

Ssentongo told the meeting that Uganda remains committed to engaging its citizens living abroad (diaspora) as part of its national development agenda.

He said the diaspora make up "an essential component of Uganda's global presence and economic future".

In his keynote address, Uganda's High Commissioner to Tanzania, Col (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, called the convention "a historic milestone".

He said it opened "a platform for dialogue, innovation and collaboration".

Mwesigye's rallying call was that stakeholders can collectively convert the potential of diaspora into "measurable impact".

Uganda's High Commissioner to Tanzania, Col (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye (left), interacting with officials during the first Uganda Diaspora Convention in Dar es Salaam. (Credit: X/Uganda High Commission in Dar es Salaam)

During the engaging meeting, Andrew Apedel, a senior registration officer from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), revealed that the Uganda High Commission in Dar es Salaam is officially the first mission abroad to roll out the new NIRA system.

NIRA is a government agency mandated to register births and deaths as well as to develop a national identification register for both Ugandan citizens and legally resident non-citizens.

In a major step to bring essential services closer to Ugandans in the diaspora, NIRA revealed it will soon make available such services as national ID registration, national ID renewals as well as lost national ID replacement.

Following the successful engagements on Friday, a Diaspora Awareness Run was scheduled for Saturday.

A Networking Gala was also on the day's schedule.