Uganda will trade with foreign countries that respect us- Museveni
President Museveni (second left) and his US counterpart Joe Biden (second right) with Ugandan First Daughter Natasha Karugire (left) and US First Lady Jill Biden (right) at the White House in 2022. FILE PHOTO/PPU
What you need to know:
- According to Mr Museveni, 79, the unity among Ugandans is enough to withstand such economic pressures.
- A December 2023 communication from the office of the trade representative, confirmed the termination that now locks Ugandan made products out of the preferential treatment on US market.
In attempt to ward off international pressure over human rights violations, President Museveni on Tuesday sought to assure Ugandans that all was well days after the US President, Joe Biden terminated the East African country from the Shs40 billion trade deal.
Biden terminated Uganda, Central African Republic, Gabon and Niger from African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) on grounds that they don’t meet the requirements to be on the export deal.
A December 2023 communication from the office of the trade representative, confirmed the termination that now locks Ugandan made products out of the preferential treatment on US market.
How Uganda Agoa ban impacts East Africa investments
“I have determined that Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda do not meet the requirements described in section 506A (a)(1) of the Trade Act. Accordingly, I have decided to terminate the designations of the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries for purposes of section 506A of the Trade Act, effective January 1, 2024,” the statement read.
In a Tuesday evening televised address from his country home in Rwakitura, western Uganda, President Museveni who has led the East African nation since 1986 when he shot his way to State House through guerrilla warfare assured Ugandans that such trade restrictions and pressures have “no meaning” because Uganda is a nation of “wealth creators.”
“Some of the people who get carried away by linking up with foreign interests forget our strengths. For somebody to come and say ''unless you follow what I'm telling you I’ll not....." they are really not serious,” he said.
According to Mr Museveni, 79, the unity among Ugandans is enough to withstand such economic pressures.
“If we divide ourselves then we'll be weak, but if we don't divide ourselves then there's nothing we cannot do...Those putting pressure on us are just wasting their time. Foreign pressure has no meaning. Therefore, what we can do is fight corruption; the usual problems, concentrate on regional integration....But internationally, we can trade with those people who respect us,” said Mr Museveni who was flanked by his wife, Janet Museveni and assistants.
The termination of Uganda from Agoa, a US trade preference act enacted on May 18, 2000, to provide duty-free access of over 6,000 products from beneficiary countries to the US market follows a number of other sanctions, including travel restrictions against top officials and threats of aid cuts, slapped against Uganda after the adoption of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023. The US labeled the law retrogressive.
