Photo source : https://x.com/KagutaMuseveni/status/1920766969793409047/photo/1
KAMPALA, UGANDA May 11, 2025 –
Opposition to the Samoa Agreement
Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has delivered a sharp rebuke to Western powers, accusing them of using aid and international agreements to impose foreign values on African nations. His remarks come amid growing scrutiny of the Samoa Agreement between the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), which includes language on sexual and reproductive rights
Museveni said Uganda has not signed the Samoa Agreement and hinted that the country may fully withdraw from any deal that conflicts with its traditional values. He criticized what he called “external pressure” on African governments to normalize LGBTQ+ rights and integrate early sexual education into school curriculums. The president argued that such policies are culturally inappropriate and represent a broader attempt to erode African moral foundations through development-linked conditions.
Moral Debate Framed as Sovereignty Issue
Rather than framing the matter purely as a social or religious issue, Museveni positioned it as a struggle for national sovereignty. He insisted that decisions about family, education, and cultural values should be determined by Africans—not foreign governments or institutions. He referenced Uganda’s cultural practices and biblical teachings to support his position but made clear the core issue was Africa’s right to chart its own moral and political course without external coercion.
“In the Bible, it says there is a time for everything. When children are children, they should learn the things of children. In African tradition, when the time for marriage comes, people are counseled. But when you get a child and teach her or him to be a woman or man, it is madness,” he declared.
“To bring a child into womanhood when she is still a child—what are you looking for? It’s madness.”
Uganda’s Economic Growth Despite Sanctions
Museveni also addressed the economic consequences Uganda faced after passing its controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act. The United States responded by removing Uganda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and the World Bank suspended its lending programs.
Despite this, Museveni highlighted that Uganda’s GDP grew by more than 6% during the two years following the sanctions. He attributed this resilience to strong internal planning and the country’s growing oil sector, which he believes will soon propel Uganda toward double-digit economic growth, “When we passed the anti-homosexual law, my friend Mr. Biden removed Uganda from the AGOA list,” Museveni stated. Then donors talked to the World Bank to stop giving us loans”
In closing, Museveni warned that the arrogance of some foreign actors stems from Africa’s own economic and institutional vulnerabilities. He called on African nations to build strong, self-reliant states capable of rejecting external interference without fear of economic retaliation.
His remarks reflect a broader push among African leaders to reassert cultural sovereignty and resist what they see as Western ideological imposition. While his speech has drawn both praise and criticism internationally, Museveni’s message was clear: Africa must be the guardian of its own values.
