President Museveni has renewed his call for regional political and economic integration, warning that fragmented African markets and weak security cooperation threaten the continent’s prosperity and survival.
Addressing delegates at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Delegates’ Conference at Kololo Independence Grounds, Museveni stressed that Uganda cannot thrive in isolation, noting that the domestic market alone is too small to sustain the country’s production.
“You cannot succeed in production if somebody doesn’t buy what you produce. The internal market is not enough. If we do not have the regional and international markets, we would not manage,” Museveni said.
He urged closer cooperation with East African neighbors including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The President linked market integration to long-term security, warning that Africa risks being left behind as global powers expand their dominance into new frontiers such as space.
“Some of the actors in the world are talking of four-dimensional superiority land, air, sea, and space. While others are on the moon, we Africans are still here. Even if Uganda becomes modern, can it send someone to the moon? My answer is no. But East Africa can do it,” he said.
Museveni cited the vision of African independence leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda, who championed political federations as a safeguard against external threats and a tool for economic transformation.
He posed a challenge to Africans: “Are you building a United States of Africa, or a Latin America in Africa? If it is the latter, history will condemn us.”
Drawing comparisons, Museveni attributed the United States’ economic success to unity of markets and governance, while blaming Latin America’s struggles on fragmentation.
Turning to domestic politics, the President congratulated newly elected NRM leaders, particularly the youth, and advised them to focus on “hookenura” solving people’s solvable problems rather than engaging in corruption or using personal money to fund supporters.
“Lead people, show them what to do using government resources, not your own money. This is where corruption is coming from. Use programs like the Parish Development Model and Emyooga to lift people out of poverty,” Museveni advised.
The conference, attended by party delegates from across the country, concluded the NRM’s internal elections and set the stage for the party’s preparations ahead of the 2026 general elections.
