Africa: Museveni Urges U.S. to Back Africa’s Value Addition Agenda

President 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 on Monday at State House Entebbe while meeting Nicholas Checker, who paid a courtesy call ahead of official engagements in Uganda. The delegation was accompanied by William W. Popp.

Checker represented Donald Trump at the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Tuesday at Kololo Independence Grounds.

Earlier, President Museveni also met Salva Kiir Mayardit, with whom he held high-level discussions aimed at strengthening the historic ties and cooperation between Uganda and South Sudan.

During the meeting with the U.S. delegation, President Museveni said Africa’s economy remains relatively small compared to other global economies because the continent continues to export 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) remains far below that of major economies such as the United States and China despite the continent’s vast population and abundant 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 deprives Africa of 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 problematic as Africa’s population is projected to rise significantly 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 significantly 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 continues 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, Checker conveyed greetings from 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.

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