By Joyce Nakato

The International Organization for Migration has commenced a program of returning and supporting skilled nationals to boost development in Uganda. This will be achieved through capacity development and generating knowledge for institutional strengthening. 
Three well-qualified Ugandan nationals have so far returned under the programme, and are posted in different institutions, with the results so far promising
The program seeks to enable voluntary participation of the Ugandan Diaspora in strengthening key economic sectors such as health, agriculture, computer science, financial systems and engineering. It is focusing on enhancing the expertise and knowledge of local professionals, promoting the transfer of innovative practices, as well as strengthening partnerships between the diaspora and local institutions. 
Conclusive estimates of the number of Ugandans abroad or what trades they are specializing in are hard to come by; but what is undoubtable is their contribution to the national economy.  According to the Bank of Uganda, in 2023, Ugandans abroad sent home USD 1.43 billion, accounting for about 3 per cent of GDP.  But their impact in sectors such as education, healthcare, business management, and technology remains minimal.
This initiative is part of the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM), funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). IOM Uganda worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify local host institutions including universities, tertiary institutions, hospitals, and private sector organizations, as well as the gaps the experts can fill.  
“Diaspora is part of labour mobility because people in the diaspora are individuals who migrated from their countries to go elsewhere. But they always want to come back and contribute to their countries of origin. They have potential to develop the economy and transfer skills”, says Victoria Vanny Nabiteeko, IOM Uganda National Programme Officer for Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion.
Among those on this three-month programme include Charles Okongo Odara, currently supporting Lubiri Secondary School. For the last 29 years, Okongo has been teaching Biology and Chemistry, including in both public and private institutions in Botswana.     
Okongo hopes to pass on some of the skills and knowledge he has acquired in the diaspora, and to also learn from his peers.   
“What I have seen is that the use of ICT is still low and a big challenge among the teachers.  And the facilities like laboratories also need to be worked on. The learners’ population is also another big challenge, because it’s bigger than that of the teachers. But the teachers are committed,” says Okongo. 
To facilitate mutually beneficial exchange, the returning experts were matched with institutions based on the skills, experience and area of interest. They are expected to develop their workplans with the host institution supervisor to provide clear and time-bound activities.
With the experts sharing their knowledge and skills, institutions taking part in the program are also reaping the rewards. Johnson Byambara Turyamwesimira, the RQN Focal Person at Directorate of Industrial Training points out that the cyber security expert allocated to them, has already identified weaknesses within their cyber security system. 
“When this expert came, he identified some gaps in line with security and is now advising us on how to handle them. We had so many challenges of losing data and even unauthorized people accessing it. He is now advising on how to protect data from just being exposed and has also identified some of the data protection equipment that we are lacking, he observes.
Byambara is sure that the institution is set to benefit from the cyber security expert’s presence over the next three months, especially if they can fully implement all his recommendations. 
Besides Uganda, IOM is co-implementing the Returned Qualified Nationals programme with the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. 

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For more information / media enquiries, please contact IOM Uganda Public Information Officer, Richard M Kavuma. Email: rmkavuma@iom.int and  ugandapiu@iom.int Tel +256 312 263 210 / +256 772 709 917.