Uganda news update – Prof. Dr. Maggie Kigozi leaves UIA after 11 years at the helm

KWAHERI YA KUONANA MAGGIE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Serving for over 11 years as Executive Director of the Uganda Investment Authority is a long time, by any standards and especially here in Eastern Africa, where often the turnover in senior public sector positions is fast and furious. Not for Prof. Dr. Maggie Kigozi though, who served with distinction in one of Uganda’s most visible public sector positions, from where she promoted the country not just as an investment destination – and with overwhelming success it must be added – but from where she was an Ambassador abroad for Uganda and often one for tourism too as UIA attended foreign trade shows, exhibitions and conventions, always ready to tell a global audience about how good it is to invest in Uganda but also how nice it is to just come visit the ‘Pearl of Africa’ as a tourist, when the ‘poor cousins from the Uganda Tourist Board’ had no funds available to join Maggie’s UIA team for additional promotions or marketing abroad.

Last week Maggie closed her door behind her at the Investment Centre for the last time as Executive Director, not that her doors were ever really closed, to the contrary, she was ever available to see visitors often at short notice, in between other meetings, and her enthusiasm to promote investments to Uganda and the country as a whole was infectious – she always ‘did it with a smile’.

Maggie, as she was always known to her friends, never fussing much about her titles, will undoubtedly be missed, by the staff of UIA, her board members who are also singing her praises and the thousands of investors she facilitated as head of UIA over the years, who have made a success out of their businesses.

She tirelessly advocated for a one stop centre for licenses, approvals, work-permits and utility connections for her ‘charges’ and made great progress over the years to facilitate and achieve that.

Having worked closely with Maggie during my own years of public service I can only take off my hat in admiration for her, for a job well done, with distinction, as a patriot and most importantly, as a professional women, who left the Ugandan franchise of Pepsi Cola, where she worked as Director of Sales and Marketing at the time before joining UIA before now returning to the private sector once again.

Take a bow Maggie and accept your well deserved applause. Until we meet again!