Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has criticized the United States over the country’s recent decision to remove Uganda from a major trade pact and issue trade advice warning about the risks of doing business in the East African nation.
Following the enactment of a controversial anti-LGBTQ law, the Ugandan government was accused by Washington of violating human rights. Last week, the United States announced it was removing Uganda, along with the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Niger, from its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
AGOA offers duty-free access to the United States for sub-Saharan African countries.
Museveni responded on Sunday evening, assuring Ugandans that the country can move forward without support from the Western world.
“I need to advise you not to be overly concerned about the recent actions taken by the American government to discourage their companies from investing in Uganda and removing Uganda from the AGOA list,” Museveni said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Some of these actors in the Western world overestimate themselves and underestimate the freedom fighters of Africa,” the president added.
According to Museveni, it is a misconception for some foreign actors to think that Africa cannot progress without their support.
“Certainly, as far as Uganda is concerned, we have the capacity to achieve our growth and transformation targets, even if some of these actors do not support us,” he said.
According to U.S. government statistics, in 2022, the United States exported 167 million U.S. dollars worth of goods to Uganda and imported 174 million dollars worth of goods from there.
