Kampala — Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries. It is a jewel; a pearl as Winston Churchill put it.

However, we have failed to market the country abroad so as to turn our natural endowments into opportunities in the tourism or foreign direct investment. Below are some of the reasons why we have failed to market Uganda.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs which overseas Uganda's diplomatic missions abroad is full of civil servants, not country sales men and women.

With the exception of a few, these foreign service men and women seem not to see opportunities abroad or are incapable of translating them into actual trade and business opportunities. In the few foreign missions where the diplomats are commercially savvy, it is usually for personal and not national interest.

Commercial diplomacy as the main thrust for foreign policy should be emphasised at the foreign ministry as a priority.

There are several government departments with the mandate to market and sell Uganda overseas. These include Uganda Export Promotion Board, Uganda Investment Authority, Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Tourism Uganda but these organisations have not marketed Uganda as well.

The civil service culture of being more concerned about preservation of one's job; sitting and waiting for monthly salary and a retirement package; operating with no specific targets is obvious.

A national carrier is an invaluable instrument in national sales drive. Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and now Rwanda Air have all played important roles in promotion of their countries' tourism and exports. These bring in invisible earnings for the country. Uganda cannot expect to do any better in national salesmanship without a national airline.

There are many unofficial ambassadors of Uganda who have wonderful opportunities to sell Uganda abroad every year. The Government, especially the foreign affairs ministry, should formulate a policy to tap into the resource as an implementation avenue for foreign policy.

The effort to sell Uganda abroad must be matched with making Uganda a nature's paradise.

The writer is a media specialist