Uganda’s High Commission in Nigeria has pledged to strengthen its engagement with Ugandans living in the country, promising improved consular services, stronger business networks and greater involvement of the diaspora in national development.
The commitment was made by Uganda’s Chargé d’Affaires in Nigeria, Ambassador Philip Odida, during a gathering of Ugandans in Abuja to celebrate the country’s 64th Independence Anniversary.
The event, held on Saturday at the High Commission’s Chancery Gardens, was the first community-wide gathering of Ugandans in the Nigerian capital in several years.
Odida described the occasion as the beginning of a renewed relationship between the diplomatic mission and the Ugandan community, calling for closer cooperation and regular communication.
“This is a new beginning, a renewed determination by us to reach out and connect with you,” he said.
He noted that Ugandans in Nigeria represent diverse professional and economic backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, academics, business executives, students and skilled workers.
The ambassador assured the community that the mission was committed to listening to their concerns, recognising their achievements, identifying opportunities for collaboration and helping address challenges affecting their welfare.
High Commission Seeks Diaspora Registration
As part of its renewed engagement strategy, the High Commission has called on all Ugandans living in Nigeria to register with the mission.
The registration exercise is intended to establish a comprehensive database showing where Ugandans reside, their professional qualifications, skills and areas of interest.
According to Odida, the information will help the mission improve consular services while identifying opportunities to connect Ugandan professionals, entrepreneurs and investors in Nigeria with institutions and businesses back home.
The initiative will also facilitate partnerships between Ugandan academics, technocrats and business people and their counterparts in Uganda.
To maintain consistent engagement, the mission plans to organise regular community meetings, professional networking sessions, business forums and cultural activities.
“We do not need to call you; you need to just step in and come, because we work together. We are building a team, and the team involves all of us,” Odida said.
He commended the Uganda Diaspora Executive for its role in mobilising Ugandans in Nigeria and encouraged the organisation to strengthen its structures, broaden participation and identify credible investment and business opportunities.
Diaspora Urged to Support Trade and Investment
Odida also called on Ugandans in Nigeria to take an active role in the country’s economic and commercial diplomacy agenda, particularly by participating in trade initiatives and investment promotion activities.
He cited the Nigeria-Uganda Business Forum and Exhibition held in Kampala in September as an example of the growing economic cooperation between the two countries.
Organised under the theme, Enhancing Business Linkages and Market Access through the AfCFTA Framework, the forum attracted Nigerian investors interested in opportunities in Uganda’s dairy, livestock, minerals and agro-processing sectors.
Among the proposed investment opportunities were multibillion-shilling trade arrangements, including plans targeting the purchase of 2,000 Ankole cattle. Approximately six memorandums of understanding were also being finalised ahead of the Nigerian delegation’s visit.
Trade relations between Uganda and Nigeria have recorded significant growth in recent years, although the overall trade volumes remain relatively modest.
Ambassador Charles Sentongo, head of protocol at Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said bilateral trade had increased from approximately $4 million in 2020 to about $34 million in the most recent reporting year.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Misitura Abdulraheem, said a Nigerian delegation had subsequently engaged Ugandan government agencies to explore investment opportunities in cement, pharmaceuticals, beef, fish processing and palm oil.
She added that discussions between the two governments on a bilateral trade framework were at an advanced stage.
Odida emphasised that Ugandans living abroad remain an important pillar of the country’s economic transformation agenda.
He said the diaspora’s contribution aligns with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which prioritises value addition and human capital development, as well as the government’s ambition to expand Uganda’s economy from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040.
He further highlighted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diaspora Policy, which seeks to mobilise the knowledge, skills, technology and financial resources of Ugandans abroad to support national development.
“Since 2016, consistently, the diaspora has sent back home above $1.5 billion. So certainly the diaspora is an important factor in our national development,” he said.
Finance Minister Henry Musasizi, in his 2026/2027 budget speech, reported that remittances from Ugandans abroad had increased from $1.9 billion to $2.8 billion.
The budget speech also attributed part of Uganda’s improved external sector performance to remittances, exports and investment, which contributed to a balance of payments surplus of $2.47 billion, the highest recorded in 15 years.
The renewed diaspora engagement is part of Uganda’s broader Economic and Commercial Diplomacy strategy, which tasks its diplomatic missions with promoting exports, attracting investment and supporting tourism.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina, attended the celebration as chief guest.
Welcoming him in Kiswahili, Odida said East African diplomatic missions in Nigeria were considering joint initiatives to engage citizens from the region living in the country.
The Ugandan envoy also introduced members of the High Commission’s staff, including Dr Sam Omara and Dr Edith Namutebi, who were recently promoted to ambassadorial rank.
Dr Omara is expected to take up a new assignment in Kigali, Rwanda, as deputy head of mission.
Meanwhile, Eric William Owor, Minister Counsellor in charge of consular affairs, was identified as the primary contact person for Ugandans seeking assistance from the High Commission.
The Abuja gathering signals Uganda’s intention to strengthen its relationship with citizens abroad while positioning the diaspora as a strategic partner in trade, investment, skills development and the country’s long-term economic transformation.
