By Maria Mariam Namala
KAMPALA. Money sent back home by Ugandans living in diaspore surged to nearly $3 billion last year, government lasts statistics have shown.
This positive step has prompted the government to call for a broader strategy that treats the diaspora as an economic partner rather than simply a source of remittances.
According to Ramathan Ggoobi ,the permanent secretary and secretary to the treasury said remittance inflows jumped to $2.8 billion, up from $1.6 billion the previous year.He described the increase as remarkable and worthy of closer examination.
“Last year, something must have happened,” Ggoobi told officials at a retreat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Regional Economic Cooperation on Thursday.
“What’s the driver? Was it a one-off positive shock, perhaps linked to the geopolitics around Mr Trump? Were people a bit scared and decided, ‘Let me send my money home?’ Or was it the result of the work being done through Economic and Commercial Diplomacy (ECD)? Whatever the reason, we need to sustain this momentum.”
The Treasury chief said the sharp rise should encourage Uganda to rethink its relationship with citizens abroad.
“The diaspora is far more than a source of passive remittances. We must treat our global citizens as a frontline extension of Uganda’s economic architecture,” he said.
Ggoobi said Ugandans overseas should be viewed as market scouts, brand ambassadors and commercial bridges capable of helping local businesses understand foreign markets, attract investment and expand exports.
Remittances have become one of Uganda’s largest sources of foreign exchange, alongside earnings from gold and coffee exports, helping to support the country’s balance of payments.
He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to move beyond traditional diaspora outreach and develop measurable programmes that harness Ugandans abroad to promote trade, investment and tourism.
The remarks come as the government increasingly relies on economic diplomacy to support President Yoweri Museveni’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to expand Uganda’s economy to $500 billion by 2040.