President Museveni has bid farewell to the outgoing French Ambassador to Uganda, Xavier Sticker during an event held at State House Entebbe.
During the meeting, the president called on Western nations to strengthen global cooperation by embracing fair trade and supporting the purchase of value-added products from Africa, particularly Uganda.
Emphasising the need for balanced global development, President Museveni urged the West to join hands with Africa in building equitable economic partnerships that promote mutual growth.
“We need to unite to make the world great,” President Museveni stated.
He pointed out the structural imbalances in global trade that hinder development in African countries and stressed the importance of reciprocal trade practices to create jobs and grow local economies.
“We need to buy each other’s value-added products. For example, while we purchase machinery and industrial raw materials from the West, we also encourage the importation of our finished goods, such as textiles and processed dairy products, to support job creation and economic growth here in Uganda,” he said.
President Museveni also expressed confidence in Uganda’s strong diplomatic ties with global partners and commended the positive bilateral relations with France.
He cited France’s involvement in Uganda’s oil sector through TotalEnergies as a testament to successful cooperation.
“I deliberately selected TotalEnergies, a partner with CNOOC Limited in the Lake Albert oil development, and I’m glad they are investing,” the president noted.
Ambassador Sticker’s tenure was marked by growing economic and diplomatic engagements between Uganda and France, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
