Today at Parliament of Uganda, I shared PACEID’s case for deepening Pan-African and regional market value chains during EAC Parliamentary Week.
East Africa’s promise will not be unlocked by speeches alone. We must build the systems that make trade work: stronger standards, better infrastructure, affordable export finance, productive regional value chains and the political will to remove barriers that slow our people down.
Uganda’s opportunity is clear. We must move from exporting raw commodities to building an export powerhouse that creates jobs, strengthens industries and gives young people a real stake in the future of East Africa.
The EAC must become a working market, not just an aspiration.
A stronger East African market will be built not only through policy, but through production, value addition, investment and trust.
At the EAC Parliamentary Week at Parliament, Chairman @OdrekRwabwogo called on policymakers across the East African Community to move beyond trade agreements and focus on building integrated regional value chains that create jobs, strengthen manufacturing and increase exports.
He noted that since the revival of the @jumuiya in 2000, trade within the region has grown, with Uganda's trade rising from approximately US$360 million to over US$6 billion.
To sustain this momentum, he highlighted four priorities:
▶️Expand export markets and market intelligence.
▶️Modernise food safety and standards to enhance competitiveness.
▶️Invest in export infrastructure, logistics and Regional Aggregation Centres.
▶️Increase access to affordable export financing for businesses.
He urges EAC Partner States to address non-tariff barriers affecting professionals and SMEs, harmonise industrial policies and strengthen governance to support long-term regional integration.
President @KagutaMuseveni today received a special message from his Angolan counterpart, H.E. João Lourenço, delivered by Angola's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, during a meeting at the President's Kisozi farm in Gomba District.
The meeting also covered matters of mutual interest, including Angola's candidature of Josefa Sacko for FAO Director-General. President Museveni pledged Uganda's support, reaffirming the importance of African solidarity and cooperation.
Today at NALI, Kyankwanzi, I spoke to Ugandan returnees from South Africa, under the theme: Stages of Social Development.
I shared that societies do not transform by accident. They move from survival, to settlement, to production, and finally to knowledge, through technology, organization and leadership.
For Uganda, the lesson is clear. We must build the conditions that allow our people to live and work with dignity at home: land productivity, industrial skills, manufacturing, energy, export markets, strong institutions and freedoms that make society predictable.
At PACEID, our work on markets, standards, infrastructure and finance is part of this national journey: to create jobs, raise incomes and move Uganda from raw production to value addition and a knowledge economy.
A nation must organize, not merely mobilize.
Read Full Lecture here: https://t.co/POmoRRFhW9
Addressing Ugandans recently evacuated from South Africa on "Stages of Social Development" @NaliKyankwanz today, Chairman @OdrekRwabwogo urged them to turn adversity into strength. Uganda's answer is a bigger economy, more industries, more exports and more jobs. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Drawing lessons from the evolution of societies: from hunter-gatherer communities through agricultural and industrial societies to today's knowledge economy, he argued that nations prosper through leadership, technology, organization and productive enterprise rather than migration alone.
"The solution is to grow the economy so that more Ugandans can find dignified work at home. We must build industries, strengthen exports and create opportunities that allow our people to thrive in Uganda," he said.
Bulambuli District liberation is underway.
The era of public officials stealing from the people in broad daylight must come to an end. Every shilling of taxpayers' money must be used for its intended purpose to deliver quality services to our communities.
We remain committed to exposing corruption, holding those responsible accountable, and restoring integrity in local government. This must stop. The people of Bulambuli and all Ugandans deserve better.
President @KagutaMuseveni has reiterated that Uganda and Africa's long-term strategic security depends on socio-economic transformation and economic and political integration.
While presiding over the graduation of NDC- U Course 04/2025–26, the Commander-in-Chief also pledged Shs50 billion towards the expansion and modernisation of the National Defence College- Uganda to enhance professional military education.
VIDEO: Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara has ordered the arrest of the headteacher of Naiku Primary School in Mbale District over alleged corruption after a visit to the school revealed that, despite reporting an enrolment of 1,352 pupils, only 705 were present.
Earlier today, the Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commissioned a new fleet of aircraft into the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force, marking a major step in the nation’s military modernisation.
Truth be told, few public servants have demonstrated the level of dedication, commitment, and humility that @BalaamBarugahara has shown in the Ministry of Local Government. Your tireless service and willingness to work for the people have earned the respect of many. May God continue to bless, strengthen, and guide you as you serve Uganda. 🇺🇬🙏
We inspected the roads & found that red soil had been used instead of murram or other suitable road construction material. I called my colleague, the Minister of Works & Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, and asked him to send a team of engineers to investigate. ~ @BalaamBarugahar
UPDATE: I have a clear directive from the President to sort out local government, and from my chairman, the CDF. My security has been enhanced, and therefore, I will not fear anyone. ~ Minister @BalaamBarugahar
"For us in the Patriotic League of Uganda, we are going to establish structures at every level to promote patriotism and fight corruption. We are going to make the loudest noise about corruption." ~ Twalla Fadil, Secretary General, PLU
The time for losing money in local governments has come to an end, and the time to stop corruption is now. From Jinja, I visited the district administration block, which had been earmarked and costed at Shs 19 billion. ~@BalaamBarugahar
In Mbale, we visited a primary school where government records showed support for 1,386 pupils. However, when I counted the pupils in the classrooms, there were only 705. This must stop. The head teacher was arrested and handed over to the police. ~ @BalaamBarugahar