President Museveni on Thursday delivered a compelling and ideologically charged lecture to students at Kenya’s National Defence College (NDC), urging East African nations to embrace economic integration, strategic security, and regional unity as pillars of continental transformation.
Addressing 72 senior officers and participants in Nairobi during his working visit to Kenya, President Museveni — who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) — underscored the necessity of collaboration and shared purpose among African states.
“The key to Africa’s prosperity lies in producing more goods and services, but we must also consider who buys them,” Museveni told the class, adding that intra-African trade remains constrained by overlapping production and limited market diversification.
The President noted that East African countries tend to produce similar commodities, which dampens cross-border trade. He challenged states in the region to move beyond competitive nationalism and view one another as mutually beneficial partners.
“Love Uganda because you need it. Love Kenya because you need it. Love Africa because you need it,” he said, framing unity as both a practical and ideological imperative.
Museveni emphasized that regional integration is not only vital for economic growth, but also a prerequisite for sustained peace and security. He warned that without economic interdependence, strategic security across the continent would remain fragile.
“There is a pressing need for economic integration if Africa is to prosper,” he said. “We all need each other to succeed.”
He urged the adoption of Kiswahili as a unifying regional language, calling it a strategic tool for building solidarity and cross-border cooperation.
“By embracing Swahili, we can create a strong unity in East Africa,” Museveni said. “A shared language reinforces our brotherhood — our undugu — across borders.”
He called for the establishment of an African “centre of gravity” rooted in this shared identity and purpose — a core from which prosperity and security can radiate across the continent.
The lecture was attended by several high-ranking Kenyan officials, including Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, Defence Permanent Secretary Patrick Mariru, and NDC Commandant Lt. Gen. Juma Mwinyikai.
In his closing remarks, President Museveni challenged the future military, diplomatic, and policy leaders in attendance to be agents of transformation across Africa.
“Harness Africa’s abundant resources. Rationalise our economies. And above all, embrace unity as a transformative force for the future of our people.”
The address marked a continuation of President Museveni’s long-standing advocacy for African integration, aligning with Uganda’s broader Pan-African foreign policy outlook.
