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The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi, has called upon ambassadors and heads of missions to play a crucial role in promoting Uganda’s economic growth through innovative branding and marketing strategies.

Ambassadors and heads of mission have been urged to contribute significantly to Uganda’s economic growth by using creative branding and marketing techniques, according to Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.

Speaking at the week-long retreat for ambassadors and heads of missions at the Civil Service College in Jinja City, Mr. Ggoobi said it was important to attract tourists and investors to achieve the country’s 10-fold growth strategy.

“Tourism is a low-hanging fruit that should be prioritized by Ambassadors abroad,” Mr Ggoobi said, adding that the country targets to double the economy every five years in the medium term despite crises.

The Ambassadors Conference opened on Tuesday and runs until Friday under the theme “Strengthening Governance and Performance of the Foreign Service for National Development.”

The conference aims to enhance performance and innovation among missions, facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and promote regional and international peace and security.

Against the backdrops of ripples and trickles of the Nile waters knocking against rocks and the fresh breezes that the leafy riverbanks give, Jinja City could not have been a more ideal place for this conclave.

It has been a torrid for few weeks for the Foreign Service and many would have thought the conclave would be all about stiff collars and drills.

And even if the venue could be said to have belong to the military, the members of the foreign service here were not at Kyankwanzi to boot – akin to those familiar scenes in green khaki.

Foreign minister Jeje Odongo said the issues involving his envoys were being handled administratively and given how constant he wore his grins; it was always clear that more serious business related to why the government deploys ambassadors out there would suffice.

Gen Odongo’s accounting officer, Vincent Bagiire, pointed out that the foreign ministry’s efforts may not always be visible, but their impact is significant.

In the wake of criticism on the foreign service, many would forget that the New River Nile Bridge just across from where the ambassadors sat was a result of negotiations by Uganda Embassy in Tokyo.

Mr. Bagiire also cited the construction of an airport in Karamoja as an example of a result initiated by the Uganda Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

He further mentioned a polytechnic institute built by Sharjah in Uganda as another notable project.

The Ambassadors’ Conference was opened on by Gen Odongo, who urged Ambassadors and Heads of Missions abroad to align the Ministry’s work with national development framework – including Vision 2040 and the Third National Development Plan.

Gen Odongo emphasized the need for Uganda’s foreign policy to drive economic growth and regional integration.

He highlighted economic and commercial diplomacy as key drivers of Uganda’s development, stressing the need for ambassadors to promote value addition, industrialization, and trade.