Museveni rallies NRM Kampala leaders on economic transformation, Pan-African markets
The meeting, held at the National ICT Hub in Nakawa, followed an earlier engagement with NRM leaders in Busoga. President Museveni said the two interactions underscored the interconnectedness of Uganda’s regions and their shared economic interests.
President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday 10th January 2026 met National Resistance Movement (NRM) local leaders in Kampala. He used the engagement to reflect on Uganda’s economic transformation, the centrality of African markets, and the values he said have sustained national unity and peace.
The meeting, held at the National ICT Hub in Nakawa, followed an earlier engagement with NRM leaders in Busoga. President Museveni said the two interactions underscored the interconnectedness of Uganda’s regions and their shared economic interests.
Addressing leaders led by Aminah Nanziri Lukanga, the NRM Woman Member of Parliament flag bearer for Kampala City, the President pointed to Uganda’s shift from dependency to production, citing agriculture and industry as key examples.
“Uganda used to smuggle sugar from outside. Today, we produce about 700,000 tonnes, yet our internal consumption is only 300,000 tonnes,” Museveni said, warning that without access to regional markets, such industries would stagnate.
He noted that milk production has reached about 5.3 billion litres annually, while domestic consumption stands at less than one billion litres, leaving a surplus of more than four billion litres. Similar surpluses, he added, exist in cement, timber and other sectors.
“These realities explain why Uganda’s prosperity cannot be separated from Africa’s wider market,” the President said, describing Pan-Africanism as an economic necessity rather than an emotional ideal. “Pan-Africanism is not emotional; it is about prosperity.”
Museveni linked this outlook to the founding philosophy of the NRM, which he said deliberately rejected identity-based politics in favour of shared economic interests.
“For wealth creation, identity is secondary. What matters is what you produce and who can buy it,” he said, drawing on his own farming experience to illustrate how national and regional markets sustain livelihoods beyond ethnic or religious lines.
According to the President, this approach enabled the NRM to evolve into a national party capable of uniting Ugandans and sustaining peace over decades.
He concluded by reiterating that Uganda’s future lies in unity, productive work, regional cooperation and shared values, which he said remain central to the NRM’s vision.
