President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on the United States and other global partners to support Africa’s industrialisation and value addition efforts in order to expand the continent’s economy and create more jobs for its rapidly growing population.
The President made the remarks today at State House, Entebbe while meeting Mr. Nicholas Checker, the United States Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, who paid a courtesy call ahead of official engagements in Uganda. The delegation was accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Uganda, H.E William W. Popp.
Mr. Checker came to represent the President of the United States, H.E Donald Trump, at the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at Kololo Independence Grounds.
The President had earlier on met with H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit,President of the Republic of South Sudan, whom they held high-level discussions on continuation to strengthen the historic brotherly ties and cooperation between the two countries.
In the meeting with the Senate, President Museveni said Africa’s economy remains small compared to other global economies because the continent largely exports raw materials without processing them into finished products.
“Our advice to the United States and the rest of the world is that Africa needs support in value addition. We should not continue exporting raw materials without processing them,” President Museveni said.
He noted that Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is still far below that of major economies such as the United States and China despite the continent’s huge population and natural resources.
According to recent IMF estimates, Africa’s combined nominal GDP stands at about $3 trillion while the United States economy exceeds $30 trillion.
The President explained that exporting unprocessed products such as coffee, crude oil and minerals denies Africa greater earnings and employment opportunities.
“If you export coffee without processing it, you lose a lot of money. The same applies to oil and minerals. Value addition is the key to increasing Africa’s purchasing power and prosperity,” he said.
President Museveni warned that failure to industrialise could become more dangerous as Africa’s population is projected to rise sharply in the coming decades.
“Africa’s population is expected to reach nearly 2.5 billion people in the next 30 years. We need bigger economies and more purchasing power for our people,” he added.
The President said Uganda remains committed to private sector-led growth and industrial expansion, noting that sectors such as dairy production have greatly improved over the years.
“When the NRM came into government, Uganda did not have enough milk. Today, milk production has greatly increased because of organised production and value addition,” he said.
On regional security, President Museveni said Uganda has continued to play a frontline role in peacekeeping and stabilisation efforts in countries such as Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He also cautioned against sectarian divisions based on religion, saying Africa’s liberation struggles succeeded because people united against colonialism regardless of faith.
“During the anti-colonial struggle, Africans were united. We should not allow divisions based on religion to weaken us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Checker conveyed greetings from U.S President Donald Trump and commended Uganda for its contribution to regional peace and stability.
“I want to thank Uganda for the important role it continues to play in peacekeeping efforts in the region, especially in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
He also welcomed ongoing cooperation between Uganda and the United States in areas such as health and economic development.
Ambassador Popp, who is concluding his diplomatic tour in Uganda after three years, thanked President Museveni and Ugandans for the cooperation extended to him during his tenure.
“Uganda has truly won my heart. It has been an honour to work with your government and the people of Uganda,” H.E Popp said.
He added that the United States looks forward to strengthening its long-standing relations with Uganda in trade, investment and regional security cooperation.
The meeting was also attended by Hon. Okello Oryem, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E Robie Kakonge, the Ugandan Ambassador to the United States, among others.
