Uganda: The Benefits of AGOA Spark a response from Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated on Monday that the benefits offered by Washington under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are overestimated, according to an official Ugandan source.

«The United States overestimates its importance. Uganda has the capacity to achieve its own growth, with or without the support of Western countries», Yoweri Museveni declared on social media.

The Ugandan president downplayed the exclusion of his country from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by Washington, a program that provides trade benefits to African nations with the United States.

In a letter to Congress, U.S. President Joe Biden accused the Ugandan government of human rights violations, which had been at the center of strong criticism from human rights advocacy groups, the United Nations, and Western countries since the adoption of a law in May called the «Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023».

On November 4, 2023, a meeting of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) concluded in South Africa, with the participation of 35 representatives from African countries.

AGOA is a law that provides trade benefits to eligible countries for certain exports to the United States.

Earlier in the week, Washington decided to exclude four countries from AGOA, including Uganda.

Yann ETERNEL