President Museveni Urges Mali War College Officers To Champion Pan-Africanism And Economic Integration

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on officers from the War College of Mali to embrace patriotism, Pan-Africanism, economic transformation and strategic security as the foundation for Africa’s prosperity, stability and long-term development.

The President made the remarks on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at State House Entebbe while delivering a Lecture of Opportunity to a delegation of student officers from the War College of Mali. The delegation was led by the Commandant of the War College of Mali, Brig. Gen. Moussa Yoro Kanté.

Drawing on more than six decades of involvement in African affairs, President Museveni said the continent’s future depends on addressing what he described as Africa’s three historical missions: creating prosperity, guaranteeing strategic security and promoting African unity.

“I have been involved in African affairs for the last 65 years. I was a follower of Modibo Keita, Kwame Nkrumah and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and I am a Pan-Africanist,” President Museveni said.

He explained that Africa’s liberation struggle was never solely about attaining political independence but also about creating sustainable prosperity for its people.

“If African people need prosperity like other people, then the question is: where does prosperity come from? It cannot come from begging. Africa has been begging for decades, yet many countries remain poor. Prosperity comes from producing a good or service that other people are willing to buy,” he said.

Using his experience as a cattle keeper, President Museveni illustrated the importance of markets, noting that wealth is created by producing for wider markets rather than for one’s immediate community.

“My tribe cannot make me prosperous because they produce the same things I produce. It is the wider Ugandan market that buys my milk and beef. That is why patriotism is important. Uganda is the market that supports our prosperity,” he said.

The President noted that as production expands, national markets eventually become insufficient, making regional integration indispensable.

“When Ugandans began producing more sugar, textiles, milk and maize, the local market was no longer enough. That is why Pan-Africanism is not just an ideology; it is an economic necessity. Africa provides the larger market that will sustain our prosperity,” he said.

President Museveni also underscored the importance of socio-economic transformation, urging African countries to move beyond subsistence farming to commercial production and wealth creation.

“We told our people to produce not only for the stomach but also for the pocket. Many needs can only be met through money earned from productive economic activity,” he said.

On security, the President stressed that prosperity cannot be sustained without the capacity to defend it.

“You may become prosperous, but if you cannot defend yourself, others will destroy what you have built. Strategic security is therefore the second historical mission,” he said.

He observed that modern warfare has evolved beyond the traditional domains of land, air and sea to include space, arguing that no single African country has the capacity to compete effectively across all four domains on its own.

“Even developed countries such as France, Germany and Britain cannot independently dominate all these areas. That is why political integration in Africa is so important,” President Museveni said.

He welcomed ongoing efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to strengthen regional cooperation, saying deeper political and security integration would better position African countries to safeguard their sovereignty and accelerate development.

Speaking about the continent’s current geopolitical challenges, President Museveni said Africa’s renewed vulnerability to external competition stemmed largely from the failure of post-independence leaders to fully unite the continent.

“The new scramble for Africa is a reality because of our mistakes. Once we got our freedom, we did not use it properly to unite ourselves,” he said.

The President also highlighted the importance of value addition, citing Uganda’s dairy industry as an example of how processing agricultural products increases incomes, creates jobs and expands export opportunities.

On terrorism, he said defeating violent extremism requires addressing both ideological and military dimensions.

“The first problem of terrorism is ideological. The second issue is army building. You must build professional forces capable of protecting the country and defeating those who use violence,” President Museveni said.

Earlier, the Joint Staff Training and Doctrine, Brig Gen Wycliffe Keita, said the delegation, which arrived in Uganda on July 12, was undertaking a study tour aimed at deepening participants’ understanding of national security, defence transformation, regional peace and security, governance, civil-military relations and national development.

 

He noted that the delegation had engaged with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and other institutions to learn from Uganda’s experience in defence, governance and national development.

“Your Excellency, today’s audience with you is the pinnacle of our study visit. You are widely recognised as one of the region’s leading Pan-Africanists because of your commitment to peace, unity and African solutions to African challenges,” Brig Gen Keita said.

The Commandant of the War College of Mali, Brig. Gen. Moussa Yoro Kanté, conveyed greetings from Mali’s President, Gen. Assimi Goïta, and thanked President Museveni for Uganda’s continued support to Mali’s defence sector.

“This visit is a direct result of your decision to strengthen military cooperation with Mali. We thank you for the officers who have been trained in Uganda and for your enduring commitment to Pan-Africanism,” Brig. Gen. Kanté said.

He revealed that the 37-member delegation comprises staff, defence officials and student officers from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Morocco, Senegal and Togo.

During the interactive session, participants sought President Museveni’s views on regional security, terrorism, the renewed global competition for Africa’s natural resources and whether Uganda’s National Enterprise Corporation model could be replicated in other African countries.