DIASPORA MATTERS

The Fifth Diaspora Stakeholders Meeting took place Tuesday at the Office of the President in Kampala, with the attention on how to liven Uganda's diaspora up as well as on labour export.

The event was organised by the office of the senior presidential advisor on diaspora affairs.

Discussions centred on strategies towards a vibrant diaspora, as well as on labour externalization. It also featured presentations from Ugandan diaspora in the US, Germany and Canada.

Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, the Presidential advisor on gender and youth affairs, opened her remarks by saying Uganda's tainted image in the global community needs to be cleaned.

She said Ugandans posting negative content about the country on social media has seen many sectors, such as tourism, affected negatively.

Related: 33rd UNAA Convention: Ugandans urged to work together

Presidential advisor on gender and youth affairs, Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi. (File photo)

Kiyingi said Government is taking a strong stance, especially on externalisation of labour, and is calling for collective responsibility to project a positive image of Uganda.

"What we do as individuals paints an image of the country either in a good or bad way. When people out there read that there is turbulence in the country, the tourism sector, for example, is affected. 

"We have seen people leave the country and then strike abroad. This paints a bad image of the country," said the former youth and children affairs state minister.

Kiyingi underlined that Government is focusing on ensuring that its young population benefits from the disapora structure, which requires that Ugandans abroad aggressively project a good image of the country.

There is no known official number of Ugandans in the diaspora. As such, there is a call for a database to capture this information.

What is known is that the annual remittance is sh1.2b, according to official records.

In January, President Yoweri Museveni launched Uganda’s rebranding drive to 'Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa' in Kampala.

This rebranding is a move towards marketing Brand Uganda across the globe as a destination of choice.

Meanwhile, Tuesday's meeting in Kampala was attended by officials from ministries and establishments directly involved in matters of the diaspora, including the ministries of foreign affairs, internal affairs, gender, labour & social development, tourism, energy and lands.

Others were from;

- Uganda Investment Authority
- Uganda Revenue Authority
- National Identification & Registration Authority
- Operation Wealth Creation
- Uganda Tourism Board
- National Planning Authority
- Petroleum Authority of Uganda

Amb. Abbey Walusimbi, the senior presidential advisor on diaspora affairs, said they have agreed to organise themselves into a coalition to build a vibrant diaspora community. 

They are also looking to harness goodwill for the sector to counter negative forces that undermine the potential of the diaspora.

Related: Museveni unveils 'Explore Uganda the Pearl of Africa'

Amb. Abbey Walusimbi, the senior presidential advisor on diaspora affairs. (Source: Twitter/@AmbAbbey)

“We have been collaborating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Gender [, Labour and Social Development] to streamline the working conditions  of our children working abroad," said Walusimbi.

"We want to work well with companies heavily placed in externalisation of labour alongside all government agencies and their employers."

Walusimbi said his office is taking the lead in mitigating issues arising from labour externalisation in especially the Middle East to counter propaganda about those countries.