Speaking at State House Entebbe while delivering a Lecture of Opportunity to a delegation of 37 student officers from the War College of Mali, Museveni said Africa must focus on what he described as its three historical missions: achieving prosperity, guaranteeing strategic security and promoting continental unity.
“I have been involved in African affairs for the last 65 years. I was a follower of Modibo Keita, Kwame Nkrumah and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and I am a Pan-Africanist,” Museveni said.
He argued that political independence alone cannot transform the continent without economic production and expanded markets.
“If African people need prosperity like other people, then the question is: where does prosperity come from? It cannot come from begging. Prosperity comes from producing a good or service that other people are willing to buy,” he said.
Drawing from his experience as a cattle farmer, Museveni said national markets are essential for economic growth but eventually become too small as production increases.
“My tribe cannot make me prosperous because they produce the same things I produce. It is the wider Ugandan market that buys my milk and beef,” he said.
He added that regional integration becomes necessary once domestic markets can no longer absorb increased production.
“When Ugandans began producing more sugar, textiles, milk and maize, the local market was no longer enough. That is why Pan-Africanism is not just an ideology; it is an economic necessity.”
The President urged African countries to move from subsistence agriculture to commercial production, saying wealth creation depends on producing for both consumption and income.
“We told our people to produce not only for the stomach but also for the pocket. Many needs can only be met through money earned from productive economic activity,” he said.
On security, Museveni said economic progress cannot be sustained without strong defence institutions.
“You may become prosperous, but if you cannot defend yourself, others will destroy what you have built. Strategic security is therefore the second historical mission,” he said.
He noted that modern warfare now extends beyond land, air and sea to include space, making closer political and military cooperation among African countries increasingly important.
Museveni welcomed efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to strengthen regional cooperation, saying greater integration would improve the continent’s ability to protect its sovereignty and accelerate development.
He also warned that renewed competition by foreign powers for Africa’s resources was partly the result of the continent’s failure to unite after independence.
“The new scramble for Africa is a reality because of our mistakes. Once we got our freedom, we did not use it properly to unite ourselves,” he said.
The President further called on African countries to invest in value addition, saying processing agricultural products increases incomes, creates jobs and expands export markets.
On terrorism, Museveni said defeating violent extremism requires both ideological and military responses.
“The first problem of terrorism is ideological. The second issue is army building. You must build professional forces capable of protecting the country and defeating those who use violence,” he said.
Earlier, Brig. Gen. Wycliffe Keita of the Joint Staff Training and Doctrine said the delegation, which arrived in Uganda on July 12, was on a study tour to learn about Uganda’s approach to national security, defence transformation, governance, civil-military relations and development.
He said the officers had visited the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and other institutions as part of the programme.
“Our audience with Your Excellency is the pinnacle of our study visit. You are widely recognised as one of the region’s leading Pan-Africanists because of your commitment to peace, unity and African solutions to African challenges,” Brig. Gen. Keita said.
The Commandant of the War College of Mali, Brig. Gen. Moussa Yoro Kanté, conveyed greetings from Mali’s President, Gen. Assimi Goïta, and thanked Uganda for strengthening defence cooperation through military training.
He said the delegation comprises officers and officials from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Morocco, Senegal and Togo.