President Museveni has assumed the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) Summit, taking over from William Ruto of Kenya.
The handover took place at the conclusion of the EAC Heads of State Summit held on Saturday at the Arusha International Conference Centre.
Museveni will serve as Chairperson of the regional bloc for the next one year, a role that rotates among the heads of state of the member countries.
While accepting the responsibility, Museveni thanked the leaders of the region for entrusting him with the position.
“I thank Their Excellencies, the Heads of State of the East African Community, for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving as Chairperson of the EAC Summit for the next year,” Museveni said.
Museveni the opportunity to call for greater unity and deeper regional integration among African countries.
“Africa must avoid what I call ‘Okukonesa’, the mis-cooking of the African Revolution. Historically, our weaknesses of disunity, poor leadership and failure to adopt science allowed the continent to be colonised,” he said.
Museveni noted that although African countries achieved political independence, the continent must now focus on unity to achieve economic transformation.
“We achieved Uhuru (freedom). The next mission must be Umoja (unity),” he added.
He stressed that Africa’s prosperity depends on production and access to large markets, warning that fragmented markets keep the continent poor.
“Prosperity comes from production and markets. Fragmented markets keep Africa poor,” Museveni said.
Using a Luganda proverb, the President emphasized the need for African countries to build strong internal markets.
“In Luganda we say: ‘Omuggo oguli ku mulirano tegugoba ngo.’ The stick in the neighbour’s house cannot chase away the leopard. Africa must build its own internal market through integration,” he said.
Museveni added that regional blocs like the East African Community are critical to achieving both regional and continental integration.
“The mission remains: Uhuru na Umoja — Freedom and Unity,” he said.
During the same summit, Heads of State and Government also approved the appointment of Stephen Patrick Mbundi, Tanzania’s Ambassador, as the new Secretary General of the East African Community.
