Description
I served on the organising committee of the 3rd International West Nile Diaspora Convention, held in hybrid format from 16–19 July 2026 at the Leonardo Hotel, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, with virtual participation via Zoom and YouTube livestream.The Convention brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including diaspora professionals, entrepreneurs, policymakers, businesses from Uganda and the UK, financial institutions, government representatives, and development partners. Officially opened by Her Excellency Nimisha Madhvani, Uganda's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the Convention explored opportunities for sustainable investment across key sectors including agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, logistics, real estate, ICT, and healthcare.
As part of the Convention programme, I delivered two invited presentations. My keynote address, "Unlocking West Nile's Potential: Sustainable Sectoral Investments for a Borderland Region," introduced a framework for understanding sustainable regional development by recognising and investing in the region's natural, human, cultural, and strategic assets. On the second day, I presented "Investing in West Nile Tourism: Five Doors into a Borderland Region and the Potential Projects Behind Each One," highlighting practical investment opportunities and strategies for developing a sustainable tourism economy.
The Convention aimed to translate dialogue into tangible partnerships, bankable investment opportunities, and long-term frameworks capable of catalysing sustainable economic growth and transformative regional development in Uganda's West Nile region.
The Convention reflects my wider research interests in sustainability, regional economic development, institutions, and tourism, and demonstrates how academic research can inform policy dialogue and investment strategies in developing regions.
| Period | 15 May 2026 → 19 Jul 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Milton Keynes, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- Regional development
- sustainable investment
- borderland region
- West Nile
- Uganda
- Economic growth