Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed the mass registration of all Ugandans abroad, announcing plans to integrate the diaspora into Uganda’s investment and development structures, including a new slot at the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA).
Speaking during a meeting with NRM Diaspora representatives from more than 20 countries at Nakasero State Lodge, the President said the government must identify citizens “name by name, country by country” to improve planning, resource mobilization, and diaspora engagement.
“We need to know all the diaspora, whether they are NRM or not,” Mr Museveni said. “Then the NRM people will elect their own leadership, and even other larger diaspora groups, if they wish, can establish their own structures.”
The President appointed Maj. (Rtd) Awich Pollar, NRM Secretariat’s Director for External Affairs, and Ambassador Abbey Walusimbi, his Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs, to spearhead the registration drive.
He also tasked Mr. Mohammed Bagonza, Head of the State House Diaspora Unit, to strengthen linkages between Ugandans abroad and their homeland.
On political inclusion, Museveni backed calls for diaspora representation on the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC), saying it would enable Ugandans overseas to contribute to strategic decision-making at the highest level of the party.
In a major policy pledge, Museveni announced that the diaspora will be given a direct position within the UIA to fast-track investment opportunities. “I will appoint one of you once you recommend him or her as deputy director of the Uganda Investment Authority. So when you come, you go directly to that person without going through others,” he told the delegates.
Ambassador Johnny Muhindo, Head of Diaspora Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, disclosed that a national diaspora policy is under development and could be launched by December 2025 following inter-agency consultations with overseas communities.
Museveni further challenged the diaspora to mobilize investments, counter negative propaganda, and promote Uganda’s image globally. He said the registration exercise will be a foundation for stronger diaspora participation in trade, tourism, agriculture, and industrialization.
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