Ugandan figures as diverse as finance minister Maria Kiwanuka, Rebecca Kadaga, Bebe Cool, and Catherine Kusasira will be a part of the diaspora convention in the U.K. at the end of August.

Ugandans in the diaspora will meet up for business opportunities in London.

Ugandans living abroad will gather for a business-focused convention, with an emphasis on trade and investment, on August 27th at the Troxy, a luxury hotel in London’s Shadwell.

Some of the prizes include a free plane ticket to Entebbe from Brussel Airlines, as well as plots of land back home in a raffle by Jomayi Properties.

Kiwanuka will be the guest of honor at the convention. A business delegation from northern Uganda will also discuss investment opportunities in the region, as well as in Southern Sudan. The diaspora will also be presented information on finding employment in Uganda.

Ugandans will gather in London on August 27th.

Experts in banking, trade and industry, real estate, and education and technology will discuss financing for investments, land opportunities for infrastructure, and affordable education back home.

Many of Ugandan artists will also perform, such as Mesach Semakula, Catherine Kusasira, Bebe Cool, and Eddy Kenzo, and a fashion show will be held.

Twenty-five business vendors are also participating, including Kyeyo Radio, Ethnic Supplies, Magenta Dating, Sunlink Travel Adventures, and many others.

Willy Mutzena is the chairman of the convention. He has lived and worked in London for 16 years, and publishes The Promota Magazine, a quarterly publication for Africans in the diaspora.

The executive committee estimates that there are about 210,000 Ugandans living abroad in Europe, and believes that the diaspora should be considered another region of Uganda.

The committee hopes that the diaspora can not just provide welfare for their loved ones, but also use their intellectual and financial capital to work for long-term change.