The President also recalled the close cooperation between Uganda and Tanzania, citing trade, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, the Murongo-Kyikagate mini-hydro project, roads in Tanzania, the Masaka-Bukoba transmission line and the Standard Gauge Railway, which has reached Isaka and is expected to extend towards Uganda and beyond.
According to Mukula, Uganda believes in the free and orderly movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the framework of regional laws and protocols, stating that it will continue to stand for the dignity of African brothers and sisters because Africa belongs to Africans.
Citing U.S. data from 2024, she said IP-intensive industries generated $11.4 trillion in GDP, 44 percent of private-sector output, supported 65.8 million jobs, and accounted for more than 80 percent of commodity export value. Copyright-intensive sectors, including music, delivered the highest earnings premium, with workers earning 130 percent more than those in non-IP industries.
Payne, an English singer who rose to fame as a member of the pop boy band One Direction, made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series, The X Factor.