President Museveni has hit back on the US President for removing Uganda from the list of countries benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) programme, saying that the US government underestimated Uganda’s value.
In a statement released on November 5, 2023, the president advised Ugandans not to be overly concerned by the actions of the US in removing the country from the list of AGOA beneficiaries. Saying that, some of these actors in the Western world overestimate themselves and underestimate the freedom fighters in Africa.
“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.
According to Museveni, certain independence fighters are misguided in their thought, ideology, and tactics, while certain international actors mistakenly believe that African nations cannot progress without their assistance.
Last week, US President Joe Biden announced that he was cutting Uganda, the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, and Niger from the AGOA beneficiaries starting in January 2024.
AGOA was launched in 2000 as a grant for exports from qualified countries and duty-free access to the US market, which is set to expire in September 2025.
