MUSEVENI CALLS FOR STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT IN AFRICA

DAILY MONITOR

President Museveni speaks during the opening ceremony of the Africa We Build Summit 2026 at JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday. Photo | PPU

President Museveni has asked African governments to invest in strategic infrastructural development that will drive the continent’s industrial development.

He made the call during the opening ceremony of the Africa We Build Summit 2026 at JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.

Museveni called for a coordinated and strategic approach to infrastructure development across Africa, emphasising that investment in transport, energy, industrial capacity, and regional markets is essential for unlocking the continent’s economic potential.

He asked his counterparts not to treat infrastructure as a standalone asset but as part of an integrated development framework linking roads, railways, ports, electricity, and digital systems to productive sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and micro, small, and medium enterprises.

“The transformation of Africa requires moving priority infrastructure projects from conception to implementation through coordinated planning and regional cooperation,” he said.

The summit, attended by leaders from across the continent, focuses on accelerating infrastructure development and industrialisation across the continent.

Museveni said Africa’s economic growth has not yet matched its vast natural resources, population strength, and land advantage, stressing the importance of addressing structural bottlenecks that continue to slow development.

He said instability driven by sectarian politics and weak state institutions undermines infrastructure progress and economic transformation, and called for ideological clarity, national unity, and strong security institutions as foundations for sustainable development.

He also called for the urgent need for Africa to shift from exporting raw materials to producing finished goods locally and explained that value addition in commodities such as cotton, coffee, minerals, and petroleum would significantly increase national revenues and create employment opportunities across the continent.

Museveni said investing borrowed funds in productive sectors such as electricity generation, railways, fuel pipelines, and industrial manufacturing rather than recurrent expenditure will help spur development of the continent.

“Infrastructure must strengthen what I call the bone marrow of the economy, the core systems that support industrialisation and long-term growth,” he said.

He reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to advancing regional integration through infrastructure connectivity, industrial production, local vaccine manufacturing, steel development, and petroleum refining capacity, noting that such investments would contribute to shared prosperity across East Africa and the wider continent.

Uganda is currently extending tarmac road networks to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and plans are underway to extend such road networks to South Sudan and Central African Republic to ease movement of goods and services.

Museveni emphasised the importance of expanding intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area framework, describing market integration as essential for attracting investment and supporting large scale production.

He urged African governments, development finance institutions, and private sector partners to prioritise coordinated infrastructure financing that supports industrialisation and economic independence across the continent.

President William Ruto of Kenya, who delivered the keynote address, said Africa must learn from other continents that have gone through similar paths in the past but have moved on.

“We must also acknowledge that other regions have faced such challenges but overcome them. Africa’s place in the global trade requires urgency, manufacturing has been stagnant at 10%. We need a way forward in terms of manufacturing and value addition,” he said.

Ruto also emphasised strengthening of political resolve to connect through infrastructure, roads, raw materials and intermediate goods to move naturally.

“The Kenya government enhances equity by $25 billion. I want to assure you that we will continue as leaders in this country and count on us to do more.”

Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote pledged to construct a refinery in East Africa to serve the region.

“I also want to commit to the two Presidents here that with their support for the refinery, we will build a similar one in East Africa like the one in Nigeria,” Mr. Dangote said.

The two-day summit, hosted by Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) in collaboration with the government of Kenya under the theme “Infrastructure as the Engine of Industrialisation”, has drawn Heads of State, policy makers and private sector leaders to discuss practical ways of unlocking Africa’s potential through large scale projects.