Museveni Defies the US, Over Removal of Uganda from AGOA
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni has downplayed concerns over the expulsion of his country from a special US-Africa trade programme.
Last week, United States President Joe Biden said Uganda and three other African countries would be removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), citing Uganda’s “gross violations of human rights”.
But President Museveni on Sunday criticized the US, saying they overestimate themselves” and erroneously think that African countries cannot move forward without their support.
According to him, Uganda has the capacity to achieve our growth and transformation targets, even if some of the actors do not support it.
The United States is the latest to take action against Uganda, which in May passed an anti-homosexuality law that includes a death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
The law prompted the World Bank to withdraw Uganda’s funding, but President Museveni doubled down, accusing the organization of coercing his country to reverse the law.
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His senior aide and son-in-law Odrek Rwabwogo had earlier said that Kampala was open to discussing the issue with the United States, warning that the decision would hit Ugandan farmers and small business owners.
“While Ugandan trade through AGOA was insubstantial, growth of our exports to the US and other partners was an important pillar of our economic strategy going forward,” Rwabwogo said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Biden had called for the immediate repeal of the anti-gay legislation after it was passed, and threatened to cut aid and investment in Uganda.
The law adopted in May contains provisions making “aggravated homosexuality” a capital offence and imposes penalties for consensual same-sex relations of up to life in prison.
The World Bank announced in August it was suspending new loans to Uganda, and last month the US State Department warned about the risk of doing business there.
Museveni has accused the World Bank of using money to try to “coerce” the government to drop the controversial legislation.
