President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has asked the United States (U.S) and other global partners to support Africa’s industrialization drive through value addition, warning that the continent cannot achieve meaningful economic transformation while continuing to export raw materials.

Museveni made the remarks on Monday, May 11th, 2026, during a meeting with Nicholas Checker, the United States Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, at State House Entebbe ahead of Uganda’s swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Independence Grounds on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026. Checker represented U.S. President Donald Trump and was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Uganda William W. Popp.

“Our advice to the United States and the rest of the world is that Africa needs support in value addition. We should not continue exporting raw materials without processing them,” Museveni said.

The President argued that Africa’s economy remains significantly smaller than major global economies because many countries still export unprocessed products such as coffee, crude oil and minerals.

“If you export coffee without processing it, you lose a lot of money. The same applies to oil and minerals. Value addition is the key to increasing Africa’s purchasing power and prosperity,” he said.

Museveni warned that industrialization is becoming more urgent as Africa’s population is projected to hit nearly 2.5 billion people within the next three decades.

“Africa’s population is expected to reach nearly 2.5 billion people in the next 30 years. We need bigger economies and more purchasing power for our people,” he added.

Checker praised Uganda’s contribution to regional peacekeeping efforts, particularly in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Meanwhile, Ambassador Popp, who is concluding his three-year diplomatic tour in Uganda, thanked President Museveni and Ugandans for the cooperation extended to him during his tenure.

“Uganda has truly won my heart. It has been an honour to work with your government and the people of Uganda,” Popp said.

He added that the United States looks forward to strengthening long-standing relations with Uganda in trade, investment and regional security cooperation.

Other officials who attended the meeting included Okello Oryem, Uganda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Robie Kakonge, Uganda’s Ambassador to the United States, among others.