November 7, 2023
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni Downplays Country’s AGOA Expulsion, Urges Citizens Not to Overreact
Addressing the issue on Sunday, President Museveni conveyed a message of calm, advising Ugandans not to be overly alarmed by the United States’ decision to exclude their country from the list of beneficiaries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). He further noted that certain ‘foreign actors’ had misconceptions about Africa’s progress, erroneously believing that the continent couldn’t advance without their assistance.
“Certainly, as far as Uganda is concerned, we have the capacity to achieve our growth and transformation targets, even if some of the actors do not support us,” Museveni said.
Last week, US President Joe Biden said he was cutting Uganda, Central African Republic, Gabon, and Niger from the AGOA beneficiaries from January 2024.
He said Uganda was excluded because of what he described as its ‘gross violations’ of international recognised human rights.
In May, Kampala passed one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”.
Launched in 2000, the AGOA programme grants exports from qualifying countries duty-free access to the US market.
It is set to expire in September 2025, but discussions are already underway about whether it should be extended, and for how long.
In 2022, Uganda exported goods worth $10.6 million under the programme.
