President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on African leaders to unite in safeguarding the continent’s traditional family values and to pursue deeper economic and political integration to ensure Africa’s long-term sovereignty and prosperity.
The president made these remarks on May 9,205 at the 3rd African Regional Inter-Parliamentary Conference held under the theme “Towards an African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty at State House Entebbe.
“To defend the family, we must strengthen Africa economically and politically. There will be no strong families without strong countries,” he said.
The President further underlined Uganda’s economic resilience despite sanctions imposed after the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Law, affirming that Uganda’s economy grew by over 6% in the following two years and is on a trajectory towards double-digit growth due to oil revenues.
He championed Pan-Africanism and called for full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), warning that without a unified continental market, African wealth creators would remain impoverished.
According to the president, without a bigger market, wealth creators are suffocated and Prosperity comes from producing goods, selling them, and accessing markets.
The Education and Sports Minister and First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni, again made the call for defending sovereignty and values.
She warned against creeping conditional foreign aid and laid down Uganda’s totally government-sponsored education reforms aimed at encouraging patriotism, responsibility, and reverence for God and family.
“Too often, aid is conditional in a way that can jeopardize our reshaping our societies. We must protect our children from ideologies that are not ours,” Maama Janet argued.
She referred to the efforts being made to put in place a National Framework for Education on Health and Life-Skills so African children might grow up morally grounded and culturally rooted.
Parliament Speaker Rt. Hon. Anita Among highlighted that family is the backbone of society and implored legislators to be strong against forces undermining African identity.
“A values-less society is just a reflection of a values-less family. Let us legislate for sovereignty, for integrity, and for future generations,” she said.
The high-level meeting was graced by key parliamentary leaders including Rt. Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta (The Gambia), Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba (South Sudan), Rt. Hon. Vital Kamerhe (DR Congo), and Rt. Hon. Tsitsi Gezi (Zimbabwe), among others.
