Lord Popat calls for great diversity in African Governments

Following a recent visit to Uganda, Lord Dolar Popat, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic called for greater diversity in African Governments, whilst speaking at an African Summit hosted by President Museveni of Uganda.
In his keynote speech, Lord Popat called for greater diversity in Ugandan politics and a celebration of the role Indians have played in the country so far.
As the Trade Envoy to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC, Lord Popat has been championing the trading relationship between the UK and Africa for many years now. His efforts have reflected that the UK is looking beyond Europe and towards Africa.
At the invitation of the Ugandan Government, Lord Popat recently visited Ugandan as part of the Afro-Indian Investment Summit where the 50th Anniversary of the expulsion of Ugandan Asians, the 100th Anniversary of Indians in Uganda and the 60th Anniversary of Ugandan independence was marked.
One of the focuses of the summit was the living bridge that Indians are across the world. The UK has 8 parliamentarians of Ugandan heritage and many more of East African heritage including our Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. This is a testament to the strong link the UK has with East Africa. The UK has diversity in its government, not for the sake of diversity, but because it delivers better results and reflects the population. Indians have been in Uganda for over 100 years now and similar lengths in many other East African countries, the time for more diversity in African governments has come. Lord Popat commented, “I call upon people who call Africa their home to get involved in civic duty, including politics for the sake of your country’s future as well as your own.”
During the speech, Lord Popat said, “I am proud of my Ugandan heritage but also proud of how the UK continues to embrace diversity, with the huge welcome given to myself. That acceptance has le to the first UK Prime Minister of East African origin and a Cabinet of people with family ties across the great continent.”
“However, now is the time for UK-Africa relationships to deepen and strengthen. Africa, particularly Uganda can take the lead in showcasing that same diversity in its governments with more politicians of Indian origin. The UK has shown that diversity makes all levels of society, from the economy to its social fabric stronger.”
Lord Popat sent a strong message to President Museveni on the need for further engagement. This comes after 70% of Uganda’s GDP and tax revenues come from Indian-owned businesses, reflecting a great opportunity for further engagement.
Lord Popat commented that he wanted to see big companies return to Uganda and provide confidence to the market to follow. I have UK businesses lining up to invest and trade with Uganda, but they require a pace of delivery that Uganda needs to be able to support.
Lord Popat has done three things to achieve this. First, he has continued to progress the Memorandum of Understandings signed with the Government of Uganda into contracts to support agricultural exports, energy access and roads. Second the introduction of the 99% duty-free access and the launch of the UK Growth Gateway.
The progress of Indians has not only been marked in British politics but also globally with 20 global companies including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Citigroup, Pepsico, Nokia and Motorola all having Indian senior executives leading their brands. This has again demonstrated the progress of immigrant Indians across the globe and their determination to succeed.
During his trip, Lord Popat highlighted the work the UK is doing to support business in Africa including launching the Growth Gateway Programme. This programme is a digital portal that helps support UK and African businesses to trade and invest in one another’s markets. From next year, over 99% of all goods exported from Uganda will be eligible for duty-free access to the UK. These initiatives and changes to regulations will help continue to strengthen the trading relationship we already have.
The UK supports various Uganda projects, including an electricity transmission and distribution network working with Gridworks Ltd. worth £100 million and an agricultural project worth £350 million. This is part of a new strategy to industrialise Uganda, which includes a new UK Export Finance Coverage of Uganda of £2.5bn. Other flagship projects include the construction of a new airport in Hoima and a £1.5bn deal by British company McDermott to construct an oil pipeline across the country.
These projects are about creating jobs in Uganda and building infrastructure to enable the country to industrialise. By helping Uganda flourish, we flourish.