ENTEBBE, Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni called on African nations to prioritize industrialization and adopt clean, affordable energy to combat environmental degradation and drive economic transformation during a lecture to Ghanaian military officers at State House Entebbe.
Museveni addressed officers from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) Senior Course 46, who are on a study tour focused on climate change, environment, security, and development. The group was led by Brig. Gen. Saad Katemba, Director of Training and Doctrine at the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
Museveni emphasized the need to transition from biomass fuels to electricity, citing the negative impact of deforestation on water resources. He noted a decline in Uganda’s water outflow to South Sudan since the 1960s.
“If you want to protect the environment, you must solve the issue of fuel. Electricity is affordable and clean energy is the only solution,” Museveni said.
He advocated for government-led or patient-capital-driven electricity production to ensure affordable power for manufacturing, stating that industrialization cannot occur with expensive energy. Museveni also linked Africa’s economic challenges to an overreliance on subsistence agriculture, calling for a shift to manufacturing and services.
“Africa remains backward because of the high percentage of people trapped in agriculture,” he said.
Museveni also warned against identity-based politics, advocating for an ideology of common interest and Pan-Africanism to achieve prosperity, security, and unity. He stressed the importance of regional integration and market access for economic growth, using Uganda’s cotton and milk sectors as examples of vertical integration.
He urged caution in political disagreements that could disrupt economic cooperation, particularly in West Africa, emphasizing the need to avoid paralyzing economies through sanctions.
Museveni encouraged the officers to adopt the four principles of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM): patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy.
Brig. Gen. Katemba said the study tour aimed to equip the officers with best practices in addressing the nexus of climate change, environmental protection, security, and development.
Maj. John Otoo, representing the Ghanaian officers, thanked Museveni for his lecture and insights on Africa’s historical missions and ideological principles
