Kampala, Uganda — July 22,2026
In the wake of Uganda’s historical and successful evacuation and reintegration of over 1,000 citizens from South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) hosted a high-level delegation of diaspora leaders and returnee representatives who paid a courtesy call to express gratitude and map out long-term strategic collaboration.
The delegation, comprising top executives from the Confederation of Ugandans in Southern Africa (COUSA) and the United Returnees Organization in Uganda (URO), met with Ambassador Dickson Ogwang Okul, Representative of the Diaspora Services Department at MoFA, following the official conclusion of the rehabilitation and ideology program presided over by His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
Among those received at the Ministry headquarters were key diaspora and returnee figures including Mr. Moses Kibombo Ssentongo (President, COUSA), Dr. Daniel Ecun (Vice President, COUSA), and the COUSA Secretary, Ms. Winnifred Okec, alongside Ms. Lydia Mwesigwa (President/National Coordinator, URO) and Ms. Beatrice Akello.
Delivering a powerful address, Ambassador Dickson Ogwang Okul paid glowing tribute to both COUSA and URO for their pivotal roles during one of the nation's most complex humanitarian operations. While COUSA served as the vital lifeline on the ground in Southern Africa—identifying, mobilizing, and safeguarding stranded citizens—URO featured prominently at home, driving essential post-arrival support, psychosocial counseling, economic orientation, and structured preparation for seamless reintegration.
Ambassador Ogwang directly commended URO’s robust interventions in helping returnees transform adversity into opportunity through targeted counseling, skills development, and national investment initiatives.
"When crisis struck, our motherland did not ask for paperwork before extending a hand of safety to our brothers and sisters, many of whom were undocumented and vulnerable," Ambassador Ogwang declared. "Citizenship is defined by a shared destiny. What COUSA achieved on the ground in South Africa, paired with URO's tireless efforts here at home to counsel, prepare, and guide returnees toward meaningful local investments, represents Ugandan solidarity and patriotism at its highest level."
Ambassador Ogwang anchored the future of Uganda’s diaspora leadership on three foundational pillars meant to inspire public service and community organization at every level:
Compassion: The moral imperative of public service, ensuring no Ugandan abroad feels forgotten or abandoned regardless of their legal status.
Passion: The unrelenting engine of execution that propelled multi-agency diplomatic, military, and civil teams to work around the clock to bring over 1,000 Ugandans home safely.
Patriotism: The unifying anchor that transcends titles and slogans, manifesting in selflessness, mutual respect, and active service to the motherland.
URO’s Key Role in Wealth Creation and Reintegration Investments
A major focus of the dialogue centered on economic empowerment and wealth creation. Ambassador Ogwang applauded URO, under the leadership of Ms. Lydia Mwesigwa, for stepping forward as an indispensable bridge connecting returning Ugandans with domestic economic opportunities, agribusiness model projects, and investment pipelines.
Through structured counseling and commercial agronomy guidance, URO is actively channeling returnees into government wealth creation frameworks—including the Parish Development Model (PDM), commercial farming initiatives, and entrepreneurship cooperatives (SACCOs)—ensuring that returnees become self-reliant job creators and economic contributors.
The delegation is slated to hold crucial follow-up meetings with His Excellency the President and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) before the diaspora leadership returns to Southern Africa to oversee the welfare of the over 1.5 million Ugandans living and working in the region.
Ambassador Ogwang reassured the leaders that institutional solutions are in advanced motion. The long-awaited National Diaspora Policy is now in its final stages ahead of presentation to the Cabinet.
"This landmark policy will systematically resolve hanging issues facing our citizens abroad," Ambassador Ogwang noted. "It will expand consular protections, regularize documentation pathways, streamline dual citizenship processes, safeguard diaspora investments, and embed structured reintegration frameworks into our national economic planning."
Addressing feedback regarding inter-agency interactions during the intensive program at Kyankwanzi, Ambassador Ogwang reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to mutual dignity and professional respect.
He assured the leadership of COUSA and URO that any operational frictions are being handled constructively, emphasizing that community leaders who sacrifice selflessly for their compatriots deserve honor and recognition in all government engagements.
As the meeting concluded, Ambassador Ogwang reaffirmed that the Diaspora Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains an open, responsive home for all Ugandans globally.
With COUSA strengthening organizational structures across Southern Africa and URO expanding its counseling, reintegration, and investment pipelines in Uganda, the evacuation exercise has transcended emergency response—turning a national challenge into a milestone for unity, dignity, and socio-economic transformation.
