President Yoweri Kaguta Museven i has today assumed the Chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) Summit, taking over from the outgoing Chairperson, President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya, at the conclusion of the EAC Heads of State Summit held at the Arusha International Conference Centre.
During the Summit, Heads of State and Government also approved the appointment of Ambassador Stephen Patrick Mbundi of the United Republic of Tanzania as the new Secretary General of the East African Community.
In his remarks as the incoming Chairperson of the Summit, President Museveni thanked the leaders of the region for entrusting him with the responsibility of guiding the Community over the next year and conveyed greetings from the people of Uganda. He emphasized that East Africa stands at a critical moment in its history and urged leaders and citizens of the region to remain focused on the historic mission of Africa’s transformation.
President Museveni reflected on what he described as the challenge of “Okukonesa”, the mis-cooking of the African Revolution, a metaphor drawn from local languages describing food that fails to cook properly because the necessary heat is not applied for long enough. He cautioned that Africa must avoid repeating historical mistakes that led tocolonisation and underdevelopment, stressing that weak leadership, dis unity, and failure to adopt scientific and technological advancement had historically undermined the continent
He recalled that by the year 1900, almost the entire African continent had fallen under colonial rule, largely due to divisions among Africar societies and the inability of leaders to respond strategically to he encroachment of foreign powers. Despite this, he noted that Africa survived because of the resilience of its people and the emergence of liberation movements across the continent and in the diaspora,
The President highlighted the historic mission of the African liberatior struggle, which he said centred on four key objectives: liberation, modernisation, prosperity, and strategic security. He emphasized that the foundation for achieving these goals remains “Uhuru na Umoja” Freedom and Unity.
According to President Museveni, while Africa has largely achieved political independence, the challenge of unity remains unfinished. He stressed that economic integration is essential to building prosperity, noting that production alone cannot create wealth unless producers have access to large markets,
He observed that Africa’s combined GDP remains relatively small compared to major global economies, arguing that fragmented markets across the continent limit economic transformation. Drawing lessons from countries such as China, India, and South Korea, he stressed that largeinternal markets are critical t economic growth and industrialisation.