There is need to regulate foreign affairs service

On the 11th of April 2024, the evening news was awash with a story of members of the Ugandan Parliament making a case for an additional Shs4 billion to the tourism sector to promote Uganda’s tourism potential. 

This was a result of the apparent non-prioritisation of tourism promotion activities by the Uganda Tourism Board in the coming financial year budget.

Whereas there are several means of promoting Uganda’s tourism potential; some of which require reasonable financial resources, our country’s image abroad is certainly one of them.   

The image of our country abroad is important because it determines how other nations and international institutions perceive it. 

A positive image can attract, among others tourism, foreign investment, and opportunities for collaboration, while a negative image can deter potential partnerships and hinder a country’s ability to engage with the global community effectively

It is the foreign affairs docket that is the most crucial department in managing the country’s image abroad.  Therefore, an effective foreign affairs service will ultimately impact the nation’s standing in the world.

However, how Uganda’s foreign service is structured ultimately sets it up for dismal performance. 

The appointments, postings, and deployments of high commissioners, ambassadors, honorary consuls, and the other administrative staff in the foreign affairs service are done in a manner analogous to the general public service and yet foreign affairs service demands a very different specific level of (diplomatic) professionalism. 

Presently, save for the concise Articles 122 and 123 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, there is no detailed regulatory framework governing the foreign service.

There is therefore a need to reform Uganda’s foreign affairs docket in detail through legal reform particularly to ensure that the management, functionality, accountability, and appointments give us a professional foreign service. 

The structure, core responsibilities of foreign affairs service and the staff at all levels, qualifications and terms of appointments, a training college analogous to the civil service college need to be legally provided for.

This is even more important considering that many of our high commissioners and ambassadors are politicians (former politicians) without diplomatic experience or training.

Peter Mutala, Namisindwa District