President Yoweri Museveni has raised questions over why some citizens choose to travel to Dubai for work and business opportunities, saying they should instead focus on opportunities within their own country.
Speaking on Thursday during the State of the Nation Address, Museveni contrasted life in Uganda with what he described as the hardships of working abroad, particularly in desert environments such as the United Arab Emirates.
“People go to work in Dubai, but what are you going to do there, in a desert? You leave paradise here and go to work in those places. It is poor leadership and ignorance from people who are not rooted. I am rooted here,” Museveni said.
His remarks come at a time when thousands of Ugandans continue to travel to the Gulf region, including Dubai, for employment, especially in domestic work, hospitality, construction, and security sectors.
Others also travel for tourism, trade, and business networking, taking advantage of Dubai’s role as a global commercial hub.
Labour migration to the Middle East has become a key source of income for many Ugandan households, with remittances contributing significantly to family support and local economies.
However, the trend has also drawn concern from authorities over worker exploitation, recruitment challenges, and difficult working conditions reported by some migrant workers.
Museveni’s comments are likely to reignite debate over Uganda’s domestic job creation capacity and whether enough opportunities exist to absorb the country’s youthful population.
Uganda continues to face high youth unemployment, pushing many to seek opportunities abroad.
While the President emphasized staying and investing locally, critics of such views often argue that migration is driven not only by necessity but also by globalised labour markets and personal economic aspirations.
Dubai remains a major destination for African workers due to its relatively high wages compared to local economies, as well as its strategic position in global trade and tourism.
Mixed Reactions;
Ntale Brian: GDP of Dubai a city is 97bn. Uganda's GDP as a country is 60bn.
Ssekago: To be honest, the guy is talking about a country where all it's national have free health insurance, free education, full employment, better infrastructure etc. Ugandans working in Dubai contribute remittance that goes to Uganda. OUR COUNTRY IS A FAILED STATE.
Abdul: How People out of the 48Million Ugandans is the Government Employing? Your Government has demolished people's Businesses (Kampala and other Cities) and residents (Kawaala residents). What should they do now in Uganda?
Michael Kawalywa: The influx of the youth storming middle East for work is primarily an Ugandan alternative for youth employment. Employment here in mostly in private sector where even to start small scale business requires capital that it's even worse an alarming high interest rates.