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Today, August 14, 2024, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mama Janet Museveni welcomed His Majesty King Mswati III of Swaziland at the Entebbe International Airport.
King Mswati III is on a three-day state visit to Uganda at the invitation of President Museveni, accompanied by his wife, Queen Inkosikati Mak Ramashvarma, and other senior representatives.
At the Entebbe International Airport, President Museveni was escorted by ministers and heads of service agencies.
Upon arrival, the visiting King was welcomed with a 21-gun salute and reviewed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) guard of honour.
President Museveni then received Mohammed at the Presidential Palace in Entebbe.
During the discussion, President Museveni highlighted a clear vision for Africa’s prosperity rooted in his experience as a student activist in the 1960s, a leader of a liberation movement and now as Head of State.
“If Africans want to prosper, it is through producing and selling goods or services,” President Museveni said.
He stressed the need for African countries to access larger markets to maximize economic benefits, stressing that Uganda’s domestic market of 46 million people is not enough in itself.
President Museveni warned: “The fragmentation of African markets is a huge disaster.”
He compared the continent’s potential to that of Latin America, which despite being rich in natural resources remains mired in poverty due to fragmented markets.
“I always tell Ugandans here that if you want to be like Latin America, you are welcome because if you look at them, even though they have abundant natural resources, they still flock to the United States for prosperity, for health care, education and other benefits,” he said.
The president believes that success in Africa lies in integrating markets across the continent, similar to how the United States works through a large, unified market.
He called for a model where African countries not only produce but also own and share the benefits of their resources, rather than relying on foreign investment that often exploits the continent’s wealth.
The President stressed the need for African countries to cooperate on capital-intensive projects.
He also cited the example of Uganda’s oil industry, which invited East African countries to co-invest in infrastructure such as pipelines and refineries.
“I produce and you just buy, that is not common sense. You cannot say that to your brothers,” President Museveni said, stressing the importance of common ownership.
President Museveni has hailed the progress made by the East African Community (EAC) in reconstructing and expanding to eight member states and achieving economic and political integration.
In addition to economic integration, President Museveni has stressed the need for a political federation in East Africa, which he believes is essential to building a strong military defense.
He highlighted the gap in military capabilities between African countries and global powers such as the United States, which has a formidable land, air, sea and space force.
President Museveni stressed: “Africa must be able to resist all threats.”
He called for a unified African defence strategy as part of a broader vision of political federation.
King Nswati III called on African countries to strengthen cooperation, stressing the need to unite to promote the development of the African continent.
He also expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
He highlighted the long-standing relationship between Uganda and Swaziland, noting that many years had passed since they last met at a Commonwealth event.
“Your Excellency, I convey the greetings of the Queen Mother, the government and the people of Swaziland and inform you that we are ready to strengthen the relations between our two countries,” the King said.
King Mswati went on to propose that Uganda and Swaziland establish regular channels of communication to avoid neglecting the friendship and agreements that have been established.
He stressed that African countries must work together to make progress in key areas such as poverty reduction, employment, education, and scientific and technological progress.
“If we work together, we can achieve a lot. But if one country acts alone, we can’t make much progress,” he said.
King Nswati III noted that Africa is rich in natural resources but the continent struggles to produce them efficiently due to the plunder of those resources by foreign entities.
He advocated for African countries to share expertise and technology, citing Uganda’s achievements in areas such as crude oil development as an example of successful cooperation.
“Now we have a lot of technology and expertise at our disposal, and we have to use our resources,” the king said.
The King further stressed the need to promote entrepreneurship and knowledge exchange between Uganda and Swaziland and suggested the establishment of distribution centres and routes to facilitate trade.
He also proposed strengthening cooperation between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community and hoped to establish a stronger economic partnership.
On cultural ties, King Nswati III highlighted the similarities between the cultures of Uganda and Swaziland.
He suggested holding cultural festivals to showcase these connections and attract visitors from around the world.
He added: “We should promote our unique cultures, which are similar in many ways, to support tourism and strengthen our ties.”
The King called for the opening of direct air routes between Swaziland and Uganda to boost tourism and freight trade.
He noted that Uganda has rich natural attractions such as the Nile River and mountains, so the tourism industry has the potential to grow.
“Let us work together to make travel between our two countries easier and more convenient so as to boost tourism,” he urged.
King Nswati III also expressed support for Uganda’s leadership in hosting the African Union’s humanitarian agencies and congratulated President Museveni on Uganda’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 + China.
He reiterated his country’s willingness to collaborate with Uganda in various areas including the export and assembly of electric vehicles.
In the field of transport and infrastructure, the two heads of state also called for accelerating cooperation to take advantage of the Maputo port area to establish a hub in the Kingdom of Swaziland to sell Kiira Motors’ “Kayoola EVS” electric buses to the Southern African Development Community region.
Finally, King Mswati III extended an invitation to President Museveni for a state visit to Swaziland and stressed the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries.
“Africa needs to work together to achieve economic independence and our partnership with Uganda is a step in that direction,” he concluded.
Strengthening bilateral relations:
During the visit, Uganda and Swaziland signed a memorandum of understanding, further consolidating relations between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Oryem Henry Okello, and Swaziland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Senator Pholile Shakantu.
In addition, the two agriculture ministers also discussed strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector.
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland and also known as the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. The country borders Mozambique to the northeast and South Africa to the north, west, south, and southeast.
The Swaziland delegation included senior officials such as Her Royal Highness Princess Lindiwe and the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, the Honourable Mankoba Kumalo.
From the Ugandan side, key ministers including Minister in the Presidency Babirye Milly Babalanda, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Monica Musenero, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Mwebesa Francis and Minister of Works and Transport Katumba Wamala also attended the meeting.
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