New Defence Advisors Urged to Sustain Uganda’s Foreign Interests

Uganda’s newly appointed Defence Advisors (DAs) to different missions abroad have been urged to uphold and maintain the different interests that the country has in its new areas of responsibility.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vincent Bagire made this call on Tuesday while officiating at the opening of an induction workshop for DAs.

The workshop, which is being held at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala -- aims at equipping participants (DAs) with knowledge on how to conduct business as diplomats, widen their knowledge of Uganda’s foreign policy, deepen their understanding of both bilateral and multi-lateral agreements signed by Uganda, and refresh their knowledge on emerging global threats like terrorism and youth bulge, among others.

Bagire congratulated DAs on a new world of diplomacy and reminded them to always understand the country’s foreign policy trajectory, in terms of maintaining mechanisms that enhance peace and security for the social economic transformation of communities.

“There’s a marriage of convenience between foreign policy and the defence policy, and the reason is for the existence of sovereignty. Therefore, Armed Forces need to secure our borders,” he observed.

He further commended UPDF for establishing and restoring peace and security in the country and beyond.

Speaking at the same induction workshop, the MoDVA Permanent Secretary Rosette Byengoma noted that participants will have a detailed understanding of the need for diplomacy for effective service delivery at the end of the workshop.

She urged them sensitive to their new areas of responsibility as they fulfill the requirements of the missions.

“Timely provision of the right information to the respective authorities as you discharge your duties will make your work meaningful,” Byengoma implored.

She further urged them to uphold the tradition of diplomacy in service delivery by remaining highly competent, disciplined and dedicated to their work.

In her concluding remarks, the Permanent Secretary called for integrity from all DAs, noting that integrity as a core value will ease their work towards fulfilling the mandate of the mission.

The workshop is being attended by the UPDF Chief of Personnel and Administration Brig Gen Eugene Ssenkumba Ssebugwawo, Assistant Director in charge of International Affairs Col Yunus Bagada, and facilitators from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.

President and Commander-In-Chief of the UPDF Gen Yoweri Museveni recently appointed Brig Gen Ronald Solomon Bigirwa as a Defence Advisor to Tanzania, Brig Gen Simon Ocan as Defence Advisor to Burundi, Brig Gen Francis Chemengich Chemo as Defence Advisor to Somalia and Col Simon Peter Oyoo as Defence Advisor to India, among others.