President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been in Eastern Europe for the whole week where he went to attend the Second Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg. The Head of State then proceeded to Belgrade, Serbia where he opened the Serbia-Uganda Trade Expo.
The Ugandan delegation included among others; The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Monica Musenero, Henry Okello Oryem, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Harriet Ntabazi, Minister of State for Trade, Rwamirama Bright Kanyontore, Minister of State for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Education in Charge of Games and Sports, Hon Abubakar Jeje Odong, Minister for Internal Affairs and later Elizabeth Paula Napejok, Ambassador of Uganda in Serbia, among others.
Museveni’s trip to Eastern Europe, however, coincided with that of National Unity Platform leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu who is in America for the premiere of his documentary Bobi Wine the Peoples President.
The two men, one in power for the majority of Uganda’s independence period, and another one of the prominent names eyeing the mandate to steer the country going forward have reignited the debate on the suitability of the two for the role, with a specific focus on national strategic interests.
Upon arriving in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg General Museveni met and held a meeting with a committee of the African peace initiative on the crisis in Ukraine that recently met Ukrainian President H.E Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to broker and end the conflict in Ukraine.
Although President Museveni was one of the African leaders who were nominated to be part of the African peace initiative on Ukraine, he was unable to travel for the peace mission due to health complications and was represented by his Special Envoy and former Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda.
Museveni also joined fellow African Heads of State leading Africa’s Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia to condemn the coup detat in the Republic of Niger and call on the military establishment to ensure the safety of President Mohamed Bazoum.
While addressing the first session Summit in Saint Petersburg, President Museveni advised countries, organizations and people that are in a culture of fomenting, sponsoring and promoting un-justified, opportunistic wars, terrorism and criminality both on the African continent and in the entire world to stop it because they are wasting their time as history has proved that humanity has overcome all forms of injustices that have come their way over years.
Museveni said that fighting an unjust war is a waste of time and even if the perpetrator comes out victorious, the gains of such a war are likely to be very temporary.
According to the President, if Uganda adds value to its products, it will be able to generate a lot of revenue and in turn, the East African country will attain the much-desired socio-economic transformation.
President Museveni, who is on a two-day official visit in Serbia, made the call today while addressing a business summit at the Presidential Palace in Belgrade.
“Our climate enables us to produce all sorts of things. There’s nothing on earth that we cannot produce in Uganda that is produced anywhere. Therefore, we produce a lot of raw materials like crops. We have food. You have heard that there’s a problem with food in the world but for us, we don’t have that problem. We are net exporters of food because we produce so much food; bananas, potatoes of different types, maize. millet sorghum, beans, peas all those we produce and then we have livestock products like milk and beef. Everything is there,” he said.
In Belgrade, President Museveni met the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Dr Vladimir Orlić.
During the meeting at the National Assembly l related the common history of the two countries and their common struggle for freedom and independence, stressing that Serbia and Uganda should continue their struggle for progress and an even better future for their citizens.
“Marshal Tito (former president of Yugoslavia) supported the anti-colonial struggle in Africa and, although a socialist, refused to be part of the Soviet-Sino quarrels of that time. We appreciated him so much and when he died a delegation of the Post-Amin Government, of which I was part, came to take part in the funeral. I think it was led by Professor Nabudere,” President Museveni said.”
Museveni also used the visit to make a case for the Ugandan coffee.“We want the fair-minded outsiders to work with us to add value to our coffee at the source so that instead of getting only USD2.5 per kg of good coffee, we share more out of the USD40 per kg of the processed coffee,” President Museveni said.
“This is where the Serbians and other fair-minded people, should join us by doing two things: Co-invest with us or invest alone in coffee roasting, grinding and packaging in Uganda and the Serbian Government should remove the 25% tax on processed coffee and so should the other Governments of Europe, Asia and the USA. The Africans, in the last 600 years, have done a lot to support the prosperity of others as slave labourers, as raw-materials producers in the colonial and neo-colonial eras and also with our purchasing power (our pockets) buying products from the USA, Europe, Japan, China, etc. It is high time, the pockets or wallets of the USA, Europe, China, Japan, etc., also support our prosperity.”
In contrast, Bobi Wine who has largely been sidelined by the diasporan community in the US seems determined to make his stay in America make sense, even if that sense is only sense to himself and the family he travelled with. Even after performing for a few tens of spectators on Friday, he told his followers he would continue to New York where he would continue casting the country he wishes to lead in a bad light and also step up his characteristic efforts to scare away foreign investment and condemn citizens to stunted progress as if he doesn’t care at all.
Whatever, the jury is out there for all Ugandans. As we head towards the next election, the key question is who deserves the trust of the voters to steer this country that badly needs more transformation?
The Author is the Deputy RCC for Soroti East Division
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