President has blamed the persistent instabilities in Africa on the works of Colonialists.
Museveni said if it was not the works of Colonialists, Africa wouldn’t be disturbed by political instabilities and endless wars that hit different countries.
“There would have been no genocide in Rwanda, and the killings in Burundi and Congo would have stabilized long ago,” he said, adding,
“The problems of South Sudan would have been solved much earlier, and the problem of Somalia wouldn’t have turned out the way it has,”
The tough talking president made these remarks while speaking at Uganda’s 60th Independence Day Celebrations at Kolololo Ceremonial Grounds on Sunday.
He blamed some of the political elites, whom he said let down Africa in 1963 by frustrating that effort.
“If the East African Federation had been launched in 1963, you can be sure that Idi Amin would have never taken power in Uganda,”
Museveni said the integration of East Africa into one country is the only solution to foreign dominance which has eaten up Africa like cancer.
“The global value for trade in coffee is $460 billion. The coffee-growing countries of the world get only $25 billion, and wonderful Africa gets only $2.5 billion,” he said
“Much of this money coming to Africa is coming to Uganda because Uganda is taking $800 million of that,” he added
The global business for fruits, he said is $622 billion, and Africa’s share is $56 billion. The global business for electronics is $1 trillion, and Africa’s share is $82 billion.
“Of course, it should be the political leaders to evolve policies about these issues. The question, however, is, if the political actors don’t see this haemorrhage, why shouldn’t the academicians see it?”
The African market, he said is flooded by dead people’s clothes from the USA and Europe, known as second-hand clothes.
“The Monitor newspaper, to take an example on the 22nd of May 2022, said in quotes, “Coffee deal stinks, but key culprit will not be punished,” he said
“The key culprit is me. I am here. I am abundant here. Let me see who will touch me. I am the promoter of coffee value addition,”
Commenting on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline resolution made by EU Parliament recently Museveni reiterated that the development of Uganda’s oil will go as planned with or without their support.
“Initially, I wasn’t interested in the pipeline. I was interested in the refinery to produce petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel for the East African market,” he said .
“Total Energies insisted even when Uganda had to give away $12.7 per barrel to use the pipeline.In the end, we supported the pipeline because it contributes something modest to our Tanzanian brothers and sisters,”
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