The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has today briefed the delegation of MPs set to attend the 29th annual Uganda North American Association Convention (UNAA) slated for Miami starting August 31.
Addressing members of the delegation, the Speaker implored the MPs to project a good image of Uganda and her tourism, and also urged them to attend all the meetings and manage their time well.
Kadaga said Parliament annually participates in the UNAA Convention to bridge the gap between the legislature and Ugandans living in the Diaspora.
“We should note that the Diaspora are important to our economy being that their remissions contribute greatly to the GDP as well as being a source of skilled labour,” she said of the four-day UNAA Convention that will attract participants from various sectors including Immigration, Lands and Uganda Investment Authority among others.
“We need to be patriotic and present a good image of Uganda and listen to the issues facing Ugandans in the Diaspora,” she told the legislators.
Kadaga also noted that the issues of voting rights for Ugandans in the Diaspora and dual citizenship remain sticking issues, which will be addressed.
“Although we agreed on dual citizenship, we have not yet set up the proper structure for acquiring dual citizenship. So it remains a challenge for our people in the Diaspora,” she explained.
While 100MPs were invited to the Convention, the Speaker nominated 23 MPs to attend. Kadaga explained that the Members will attend different fora and make presentations on different sectors, loans approved, their implementation and what’s going on in the country. The MPs were nominated from across the political parties and committees in Parliament.
Among the various fora the MPs will attend include the trade and investment forum; youth forum and the fistula campaign for northern Uganda.
