pearlsofugand

Ugandan Asian Success

In August 1972, the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin decreed that the country’s estimated 80,000 Asians should be expelled from the country.
Almost 30,000 Ugandan Asians arrived in Britain in the following autumn months. Despite meeting with resistance in some quarters, their story is one of remarkable resilience and success against the odds
It is a story of resilience that has been etched into the British consciousness; a story of penniless refugees, who, armed with nothing but grit and unrelenting determination came to transform Britain’s social and business landscape.
From senior parliamentarians and cabinet ministers to judges and captains of industry, the Ugandan Asian community has made an enormous contribution to every sphere of British life.
Cities like Leicester and Birmingham have been transformed into flourishing business hubs, once moribund sectors like independent retailing, pharmacy and care homes are now thriving largely due to the enterprise of the Ugandan Asian community.
The NHS, medicine, finance and academia, have all gained significantly from their industrious ingenuity
There is barely a profession, business sector, city or town that has not been energised by this enterprising community.
The Ugandan Asian community have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on Britain.

Pearls of Uganda Awards

Gala awards evening on Wednesday 23rd November 2022 to celebrate the contribution of the Ugandan Asian community to Britain. The awards will recognise outstanding achievement in key sectors:

Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Medicine
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Finance
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Arts
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Media
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Public Sector
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Local Government
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Community Service
Pearl of Uganda Award for Outstanding Political Achievement

The guest list will include leaders from all areas of British life from the worlds of business, politics, academia, sport and the creative arts.

We also expect a senior cabinet minister and leading parliamentarians to attend and join around 400-500 leaders.

Britain’s Asian business community is widely recognised as one of the most successful, dynamic and entrepreneurial groups ever to have settled in the UK. It is a remarkable success story, for many came to Britain with nothing but the clothes on their backs and have achieved spectacular success, building businesses, creating employment across huge swathes of the country and amassing wealth. They trade in sectors from food and drink and hospitality, to pharma, healthcare, steel and retail.

The Asian community has made significant, stirring and vital contributions to the British success story.

The old stereotype of the Asian corner shop is long gone. Though the community still dominates this important sector, the breadth and diversity of Asian businesses in Britain today is staggering. From the world’s biggest steel producer to the country’s largest industrial employer, Asian businesses have changed Britain’s business landscape.