Ugandans living in the Diaspora have been urged to take advantage of the prevailing conducive investment environment in Uganda to invest back home.
Vice President Edward Ssekandi said Africa needed to address pertinent issues such as infrastructure, human capital development and good governance to leverage its strengths and benefit from its engagement with the rest of the world to unlock its latent potential.
“Use your connections to link with agencies and companies for possible partnerships and funding opportunities to invest in the various sectors of Uganda’s economy and use the expertise you have attained abroad for the development of the country,” Mr Ssekandi said.
The Vice President was yesterday speaking at the 7th Uganda – UK investment Convention at Troxy Conference Centre in London. He said Uganda’s vision 2020 of wealth creation for all by 2020 can easily be achieved if all Ugandans contributed to the efforts of moving Uganda to middle income status by 2040.
The 7th Convention was held under the theme: “Partnering for wealth creation in line with Government aspiration towards a better Uganda through investment.”
Mr Ssekandi assured the business executives at the convention that Uganda with a readily available young, educated and innovative workforce, abundant raw materials for industrial development and a favourable climate was ready for any volume of investment and also assured returns.
British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda and Rwanda, Lord Dolar Popat, pledged Britain’s support through investment, saying that though prominent UK companies are already in Uganda, more are still interested in Uganda and disclosed that he will be leading a business delegation to Uganda by the end of this year.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who also attended the convention told Ugandans that government is registering Ugandans to be issued with national IDs and dual-citizenship but urged Ugandans to be patriotic and pay the stipulated $400.
She also assured the Ugandans in the Diaspora and the multinationals of friendly legislative investment environment in Uganda in which everyone wins, saying the security of their investment is guaranteed.
The chairman Uganda – UK Investment Convention, Mr Willy Mutenza, pledged continued support to government in promoting Uganda as the land of opportunity and expanding the role of the Diaspora from family remittance to financial and social investment by exposing Ugandans to various partners in development.
