President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today urged African leaders to firmly resist foreign ideologies that threaten the continent’s family foundations and to match this resistance with a determined pursuit of economic and political integration to secure Africa’s future.
The President made the remarks while officiating at the 3rd African Regional Inter-Parliamentary Conference at State House Entebbe.
The high-level conference is being held under the theme: “Towards an African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty”.
The conference was attended by key Parliamentary leaders, including Rt. Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia ; Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan ; Rt. Hon. Vital Kamerhe, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ; and Rt. Hon. Tsitsi Gezi, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe.
President Museveni began by affirming his alignment with the growing movement across Africa to preserve traditional values.
“As you may know, here in Uganda I belong to the National Resistance Movement, but I can see now I am being recruited into the Continental Resistance Movement,” he remarked.
“I want to congratulate you for coming together to take a stand against this disorientation. When people stop doing the correct things and start doing wrong things, that’s disorientation and for some people to want to spread that, it’s really criminal. But it won’t work. It will fail.”
The President criticized attempts by some global institutions to pressure African countries into adopting foreign sexual and reproductive rights agendas, citing the Samoa Agreement between the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) as an example.
“I appeal to you to study that Samoa document that talks about all these things you are talking about , then we shall have to pull out of it. I heard about it and Uganda didn’t sign anything yet,” he said.
Quoting a Bible scripture, President Museveni emphasized the natural stages of growth and the dangers of prematurely exposing children to adult concepts.
“In the Bible, it says there is a time for everything. When children are children, they should learn the things of children. In African tradition, when the time for marriage comes, people are counseled. But when you get a child and teach her or him to be a woman or man, it is madness. To bring a child into womanhood when she is still a child what are you looking for? It’s madness,” he said.
President Museveni also emphasized that defending the family requires more than moral conviction; it requires economic and political power.
“There will be no nation without families. But also, you need to know that it’s not easy to have successful families without countries. I’m here in multiple capacities. I am a husband, a father, a grandfather. But I am also here as a freedom fighter. To protect our families, we must strengthen Africa economically and politically,” he added.
Recalling Uganda’s experience with economic sanctions following the Anti-Homosexuality Act, President Museveni said: “When we passed the anti-homosexual law, my friend Mr. Biden removed Uganda from the AGOA list. Then donors talked to the World Bank to stop giving us loans. They stopped and came here to pressure us, but we told them off. And our economy in those two years grew by more than 6%. We are now moving toward double-digit growth with oil.”
He said the arrogance of some foreign actors was due to Africa’s own internal weaknesses.
“This business of pressure is because of our own mistakes. To resist, you must be rich. You must create a continental market,” he mentioned.
The President further called for the consolidation of the African market, saying no single African country could sustain prosperity alone.
“If the Banyankore in Ankole produce milk and beef, they can’t be prosperous by selling to each other. They need wider markets;Uganda, East Africa and Africa. That’s why Pan-Africanism matters,” he explained.
He offered a personal illustration: “Museveni, a wealth creator, needs people to buy his products. So, who is my savior? It’s the people in Kampala who don’t produce milk or bananas.”
Furthermore, the President condemned protectionism sentiments that seek to block intra African trade.
“Some people were telling me to ban rice from Tanzania. I refused. Let them bring it if it’s better. I won’t punish Ugandans to buy something more expensive, and competition will help Ugandan farmers improve,” the President said.
He warned that without a bigger market, Africa’s wealth creators would remain poor and ineffective.
“Without a bigger market, the wealth creators are suffocated. We should develop our own market. A strong national economy can’t exist without a strong continental economy,” he noted.
President Museveni then outlined the National Resistance Movement’s four ideological principles including ; Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Socio-Economic Transformation, and Democracy, saying these are necessary to achieve Africa’s three historical missions: Prosperity, Strategic Security, and Brotherhood (Undugu).
“Prosperity does not come from begging. If aid created prosperity, Latin America would be very rich. But they are still begging. Our answer was that prosperity comes from producing goods or services with ekibalo (calculation), selling them, and accessing markets.”
He called for full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and political federation to enhance strategic security and collective strength.
“What caused the difference between the USA and Latin America? Political and economic integration versus fragmentation. Integration means strength. Fragmentation means weakness,” he said.
“If you think your tribe is more important than Ethiopia or Kenya, you’re an enemy of your tribe. Your tribe needs Africa.”
Finally, he called on the current generation of African leaders to push for true independence.
“To defend the family, you must defend the whole of Africa, starting with each individual country. Let’s build a unified African market. Let’s act correctly in economy and politics. Push for the consolidation of the Continental Free Trade Area because it addresses the prosperity of the African people through market integration,”he said.
On her part , the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni urged African leaders to stand firm in defending the continent’s sovereignty, values, and families, warning that global pressures are eroding the foundations of African societies.
“It is an honour to join committed leaders from across our continent to reflect on one of the most urgent calls of our time: the preservation of our sovereignty, our values, and our families,” she said.
The First Lady emphasized the need for African nations to reduce dependence on foreign funding and external ideologies.
“Many African nations, including our own, continue to depend on foreign aid to finance essential sectors including agriculture, health, education, and infrastructure. And yet, we must ask ourselves: at what cost does this dependence come? And how long will it go on? Fortunately, we in Uganda believe that it can’t go on that long anymore because we are doing everything possible to ensure that Uganda will truly soon be independent for real,” Maama Janet noted.
She said that foreign aid increasingly comes with conditions that seek to reshape African values.
“Too often, aid is not offered freely. It now comes with conditions that threaten to redefine our societies according to foreign standards, thereby eroding the values we hold sacred and undermining our right to govern ourselves in line with our beliefs and heritage.”
“I speak to you today as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, convicted to carry a burden in my spirit for the sons and daughters of this nation and our continent. Many of our children are growing up in a world that no longer honours truth, no longer protects innocence, and no longer celebrates the beauty of African tradition. What will they inherit from us? Will they recognise what we fought to preserve? Or will they be strangers to their own identity?” she wondered.
In her role as Minister of Education and Sports, she outlined the reforms being made to instill values in the education system.
“In the education and sports sector, we are developing and implementing education reforms, thereby taking bold steps to ensure that our children are not only academically equipped, but morally grounded and holistically skilled. The curricula are undergoing re-evaluation to affirm patriotism, responsibility, and reverence for family and for God. We must protect our schools from becoming battlegrounds for ideologies that do not reflect our values,” she highlighted.
Maama Janet also stressed that these reforms are fully government-funded.
“The education reforms are fully government-funded to protect them from foreign funding conditionalities and influences. The reforms are ongoing across many sectors of our Government to promote home-grown and home-funded solutions,”she noted.
“The Education and Sports sector recently adopted a multi-sectoral approach in the development of an overarching, home-grown and values-based National Framework for Education on Health and Life-Skills. These efforts will ensure an African future entrenched in our core beliefs and convictions.”
She acknowledged the importance of such forums in reshaping Africa’s future.
“Currently, in many parts of Africa and beyond, there is a rewriting of this narrative of sovereignty and dignity,” she added.
The First Lady noted that Uganda is a signatory to the 2020 Geneva Consensus Declaration, which seeks to uphold the sovereignty of nations.
“This declaration seeks, among other objectives, to uphold the sovereignty of nations against efforts to impose laws, policies, and strategies that are inconsistent with their national values,”she mentioned.
“I also acknowledge the steadfast support of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda, who continues to champion the cause of African dignity, self-determination, and patriotism.”
To the legislators in attendance, the First Lady urged them to be pro-people and that the laws they pass should aim at shaping generations.
“We indeed need an African Charter that speaks to our uniqueness. One that affirms our values, defends our families, and reduces our dependency on foreign nations to fund the core pillars of our societies. Let us legislate for sovereignty, for integrity, and for future generations,”she noted.
“As I conclude, be reminded that your presence here today is a testament to your Pan-Africanism and patriotic values. May your deliberations be fruitful and may they lead to the successful framing of an African Charter on Values and Sovereignty that will guide us into a future of dignity, unity, and independence.”
The Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among urged legislators across the continent to stand strong in defense of African identity and the foundational role of the family.
“The family is under threat, Values of love, respect, belonging, and unity are being eroded. But the family remains the cornerstone of every society. A society without values is simply a reflection of a family without values. Indeed, society is the mirror of the family,” she said.
She urged participants to deliberate deeply and share practical ideas that will shape the realization of an African family charter.
“There are forces working against our foundational family values. These forces seek to divide and defeat us. But if we remain united, we will prevail. Let us stand tall, history will judge us fairly as those who stood firm in defense of the family when it was under threat,” she said.
Speaker Among also pointed to Uganda’s own experience in passing the Anti-Homosexuality Law as an example of prioritizing the best interests of families and society.
“ We stood our ground and I commend all the parliamentarians who ensured we upheld our values. I also thank the President for boldly and firmly supporting us. His leadership allowed us to move forward with our heads high, knowing we were defending the traditions and values of our nation,” she noted.
The Speaker closed her remarks with a strong appeal for African-led solutions to the continent’s identity crisis.
“Let us leave this conference with one message in mind: the challenges facing Africa’s identity can only be solved by Africans. We must stop waiting for others. One Africa, one destiny. I am proud that we have now started a forum for African parliamentarians to debate and pass laws that protect the values and traditions of our people.”
Hon. Sarah Opendi, the Chairperson of the 3rd African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty, rallied African legislators to reclaim the continent’s identity and autonomy.
Hon. Opendi also emphasized the urgent need for an African Charter that enshrines values rooted in the continent’s heritage and strengthens sovereignty across sectors.
“We, as African legislators, are moving toward developing an African Charter to promote our values and independence. Our leaders have not always spoken with one voice, and for too long, we’ve depended on foreign support to fund critical sectors like health, education, infrastructure, and agriculture,” she said.
She revealed that the charter under development will focus on key pillars including health sovereignty, education sovereignty, infrastructure development, and the preservation of African cultural values.
“At the end of this conference, we intend to draft a comprehensive African Charter. This will serve as a legacy document that we can present to our Heads of State for adoption,” Hon. Opendi added.
Mrs. Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International, urged African leaders to stand against foreign ideologies that undermine family values, calling for a strong African protocol to protect the institution of the family.
“Your Excellency, we are so grateful that you have hosted this event for years in a row, and we hope that you will champion this protocol and make it have power for Africa to push back this sexual impunity back to the West,” she said.
She highlighted the growing influence of foreign ideologies, particularly around gender and sexual rights, which she said threaten the very core of family and national strength.
Mrs. Slater warned that such perspectives show how foreign interests view and seek to control other regions, including Africa.
“The family is the beating heart that keeps the nation strong. If families fall, then nations fall. It is time for the grassroots movement to establish a protocol that can protect African families,” she stated.
In attendance were also Deputy Speakers and Members of Parliament from across Africa,Religious and Cultural Leaders, among others.
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