Youth urged to learn from UAE
Aug 21, 2011
THE United Arab Emirates UAE will this month open an Embassy in Uganda
THE United Arab Emirates UAE will this month open an Embassy in Uganda. Joe Nam spoke to the UAE Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Hassan Al Suwaidi, about the UAE Mission objectives in Uganda
Your excellency, don’t you think the UAE Embassy in Uganda was long over due?
That is true, I will confess that we have had a problem getting foreign service staff recruited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi. Emiratis are quite comfortable working in the private sector in their own country. Attracting Emiratis to serve in the foreign service abroad has been quite a challenge.
UAE is a rich country, what would you want in Uganda ?
No man is an island, I need you, you need me, we need each other. This is also true for countries. For us, Uganda is very important. There are now direct flights between Uganda and UAE via Ethiopia. There is so much for us to share.
I would like to encourage Ugandans to apply for jobs in the UAE via the Internet. There are so many jobs in the UAE for Ugandans to take, especially in the fields of engineering, and the services industry. Ugandans need the kind of exposure available in the UAE. Young Ugandans can work in the UAE, gain experience and come back to develop your country. We started very small and grew very fast. This is because we are welcoming of everyone, just like Ugandans are. I have received overwhelming welcome here.
The people are warm and friendly.
The UAE is the most cosmopolitan, tolerant and multicultural country in the Arab world. This is how we have attracted the best from the world and managed to make the progress we have made. Ugandans should not miss out on the opportunities in the UAE.
What are your foreign policy objectives for Uganda?
The UAE enjoys good bilateral relations with Uganda.
We plan to scale up our investments here. I have never seen such fine weather in any country, to have sun shine amidst greenery for 12 months of the year makes this place a paradise.
The tourism potential here is huge. In addition to banking and telecom in which we have stakes, we intend to invest in tourism, hospitality, manufacturing and agriculture.
What investment model will you use?
We are open minded, and you can be sure that we have come to give and not to take, to build and improve.
We already have a number of joint ventures in the banking and telecom sectors, we will increase our portfolio to include other areas, like agriculture. When we start to grow rice for instance, priority will be given to local food security before exports.
Your excellency, don’t you think the UAE Embassy in Uganda was long over due?
That is true, I will confess that we have had a problem getting foreign service staff recruited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi. Emiratis are quite comfortable working in the private sector in their own country. Attracting Emiratis to serve in the foreign service abroad has been quite a challenge.
UAE is a rich country, what would you want in Uganda ?
No man is an island, I need you, you need me, we need each other. This is also true for countries. For us, Uganda is very important. There are now direct flights between Uganda and UAE via Ethiopia. There is so much for us to share.
I would like to encourage Ugandans to apply for jobs in the UAE via the Internet. There are so many jobs in the UAE for Ugandans to take, especially in the fields of engineering, and the services industry. Ugandans need the kind of exposure available in the UAE. Young Ugandans can work in the UAE, gain experience and come back to develop your country. We started very small and grew very fast. This is because we are welcoming of everyone, just like Ugandans are. I have received overwhelming welcome here.
The people are warm and friendly.
The UAE is the most cosmopolitan, tolerant and multicultural country in the Arab world. This is how we have attracted the best from the world and managed to make the progress we have made. Ugandans should not miss out on the opportunities in the UAE.
What are your foreign policy objectives for Uganda?
The UAE enjoys good bilateral relations with Uganda.
We plan to scale up our investments here. I have never seen such fine weather in any country, to have sun shine amidst greenery for 12 months of the year makes this place a paradise.
The tourism potential here is huge. In addition to banking and telecom in which we have stakes, we intend to invest in tourism, hospitality, manufacturing and agriculture.
What investment model will you use?
We are open minded, and you can be sure that we have come to give and not to take, to build and improve.
We already have a number of joint ventures in the banking and telecom sectors, we will increase our portfolio to include other areas, like agriculture. When we start to grow rice for instance, priority will be given to local food security before exports.