Uganda wants to send thousands to UAE to work as security guards

DUBAI // Uganda wants to send thousands more of its people to the UAE next year to work as security guards.

On a three-day visit to the Emirates, Dr Emmanuelle Otaala, Uganda’s minister of labour, said his delegation had met recruitment organisations and found that working conditions for the guards were far better in the UAE than elsewhere.

Dr Otaala said he had tried to find out how Uganda could compete more favourably for security jobs against other countries – including India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenya and Pakistan.

There are currently about 1,000 Ugandan security guards working in the UAE. Dr Otaala visited First Security Group in Dubai, where about 300 of them are employed. He also met his UAE counterpart, Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash.

Dr Otaala said Uganda was exploring job opportunities in the UAE in other sectors, including medicine, hospitality, accountancy, retail, teaching, aviation and journalism.

The focus for now, however, was security, said Dr Otaala, who was accompanied by Milton Turyasima, the labour ministry’s first secretary, and Ojja Andira, the commissioner of employment.

Ugandans were well-placed for security jobs in terms of training, professional etiquette and fluency in English, Dr Otaala said.

“We have seen a lot of potential in the Middle East.

“Our diplomatic missions have been entrusted to study the requirements for us to penetrate the manpower supply in this region. We would consider teaching Arabic if language is an obstacle.”

Mr Turyasima said the Ugandan government was conscious that it should regulate the supply of workers to the Middle East to thwart attempts at human trafficking.



“We also have reservations over jobs like housemaids because a maid’s rights can easily be abused. As a government we are not licensing anyone to export maids in any foreign country,” Mr Turyasima said.

Uganda was looking at ways of helping several Ugandan women who came to the UAE looking for work, only to end up victims of trafficking, he added.

Uganda established an embassy in Abu Dhabi last month.


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