Uganda’s Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Minister Sanjay Tanna has urged the over 1,000 Ugandans repatriated from South Africa to tap into government wealth creation programmes and invest in small-scale value addition to generate income.
Addressing the returnees at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, Tanna told them not to lose hope, saying Uganda remains a land of opportunity where they can rebuild their lives.
He cited several examples of people who lost everything but went on to succeed elsewhere. Indians expelled from Uganda in the 1970s who relocated to the UK and Canada started from nothing, he said, yet many are now among the wealthiest people in those countries. He also mentioned white farmers who were kicked off their land in Zimbabwe, as well as refugees from the Second World War, as further proof that displacement does not have to mean the end.
“You are not the first ones to experience this. Many have been oppressed and displaced from the places they called home, but managed to start over and succeeded. The good thing is that the government of Uganda is very much willing to support you to start over,” Tanna said.
He asked returnees to put the skills and experience they picked up in South Africa to use by starting small businesses in areas such as honey processing, cocoa processing, shea butter processing, avocado oil processing, tailoring, embroidery, leather production and cassava starch production. His ministry, he added, would back them with advisory services, training, market access and links to sources of capital.
Tanna pointed to Uganda’s economic growth as reason for optimism, noting the country’s GDP currently stands at $65 billion, with government targeting $500 billion by 2040.
“As you are being integrated into society, I encourage you to interest yourselves in the different government programmes like PDM, Emyooga, and others which provide opportunities for financing, enterprise development and improved livelihoods,” he said.
He also pledged ministry support in helping the returnees form cooperatives, arguing that working collectively would make it easier for them to secure financing, access markets and benefit from government support.
Tanna closed by appealing to Ugandans not to retaliate against anyone, saying such actions run counter to the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
