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The Home is Best Diaspora Summit 2016

Press Release

8th December 2016

The Home is Best Diaspora Summit 2016

Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bank of Uganda, is organizing the Home is Best Diaspora Summit 2016 scheduled for  Wednesday 21st December 2016 at the Hotel Africana in Kampala.

The Diaspora Home is Best Summit is one of the major efforts to bring the Ugandan Diaspora into active participation in private investment home, not only as a contribution to the national development, but to provide a ‘soft landing’ for members when they decide to come back home.

The annual summit brings together a cross-section of Ugandans in Diaspora, as well as the public and private sector in Uganda. It takes place in December when most of Ugandans trek home to join their families during the festive season.

The summit focuses on Uganda’s investment opportunities and challenges, as well as the role the Ugandan Diaspora can play in investing back home and in mobilizing the international business community to invest in the country. Each summit pays special attention to priority sectors like agriculture (commercial farming and agro-possessing), services like education, health care and tourism accommodation, mining, ICT, multimedia etc.

Over the years, since 2004, the summits have acted as a platform for the Ugandan Diaspora to present their views and issues to the Government of Uganda on the investment climate and issues to do with the social, economic and political enablers in the country’s quest for development.

The Summits have since been hosted in Kampala, Mbale, Gulu, and Masaka, taking on a regional approach to enable the Ugandans in the Diaspora to appreciate the developments and investment potential all over the country.

This year’s Summit, though held in Kampala, will focus on the investment potential and investment developments in Eastern Uganda. The Summit’s focus this year is on how the Ugandans in the Diaspora can contribute to Uganda’s goal of becoming a Middle Income country by 2020.

UIA expects about 300 participants to attend the Summit with a third of these being Ugandans in the Diaspora. Hon Matia Kasaija, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, is expected to preside over the Summit.

The Diaspora Summit would not be complete without the annual Diaspora Breakfast and Gala organized by the Ugandan Diaspora Network (UDN). UIA is privileged to partner with the Network, whose Patron is Dr. Maggie Kigozi and we are grateful to Mr. Ronnie Mayanja  for his tireless efforts at ensuring that the scheduled Diaspora events take place as planned every year.

Thank you very much

Mr Lawrence Byensi

Ag Executive Director