IN a powerful address at the 8th African Leadership Forum, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni delivered a stark challenge to the continent’s leaders: transform Africa’s economic model or continue losing billions in potential wealth. The forum, coinciding with the Eleventh African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, brought together influential leaders to address the continent’s most pressing development obstacles.
“Africa donates over $20 to the world for every kilogram of coffee,” Museveni declared, highlighting how raw coffee exports at $2.5 per kilogram transform into $40 per kilogram once processed outside the continent. This stark value discrepancy exemplifies Africa’s broader economic dilemma.
Museveni’s address outlined three critical pillars for sustainable economic transformation:
The President’s most pointed criticism targeted Africa’s continued reliance on raw material exports. Using Uganda’s minerals as an example, he rejected a proposal to sell iron ore to India for just $47 per tonne. “Why export raw iron ore? Let it stay in the ground until we’re ready to add value here,” he insisted, emphasizing that value addition creates both wealth and employment opportunities domestically.
Uganda’s production capacity already far exceeds domestic consumption, with the country producing 5.3 billion litres of milk annually while Ugandans consume just 200 million litres. “We need bigger markets,” Museveni stated, reinforcing the necessity of regional integration to absorb surplus production.
The President called for affordable transportation systems, particularly rail networks and waterways, to facilitate intra-African trade and reduce logistical costs that currently hamper competitiveness.
Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, provided sobering context to these challenges. With 10-12 million young Africans entering the workforce annually but only 3 million formal jobs created, over 76 million young people remain unemployed and uneducated.
“Unemployment is not just an economic issue; it threatens peace, social cohesion, and the legitimacy of our development model,” Pedro warned.
The ECA’s analysis shows reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers could boost intra-African trade by 45% by 2045, particularly in high-value sectors like agro-processing and industrial goods. Successful initiatives like the Congo-Zambia Special Economic Zone for electric vehicle batteries demonstrate how mineral-rich countries can leverage resources for industrial development.
Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who co-convened the forum with former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, reinforced the urgent need for regional cooperation and committed leadership.
As Africa faces mounting pressure from complex Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks that potentially restrict market access, Pedro called for African-led sustainability standards that balance environmental concerns with development imperatives.
The message from Kampala was clear: Africa’s future prosperity depends not on continuing centuries-old patterns of resource extraction, but on bold transformation of how the continent produces, trades, and develops its human capital.
“At this moment, we are not short of declarations; what we need now is implementation—with urgency and courage,” Pedro concluded.
