President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called for a strategic and ideological approach to tackling challenges facing the Nile Basin, emphasizing that Africa’s survival hinges on electrification, industrialization, and regional integration.
The President made the remarks while delivering a lecture to a delegation from the Egyptian Armed Forces Staff and Command College (War and National Defence College) at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
The delegation was led by Egypt’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Monzer Selim, and Maj. Gen. Khaled Elnahraway.
“I have been discussing this with Egyptian leaders for a long time. They always talk about the old agreements with the British, but I tell them that the problem of the Nile is not those agreements,” President Museveni said.
The long-standing discussions about the river, he noted, have focused on outdated colonial agreements rather than the real challenges, and yet the main threats to the Nile stem from underdevelopment in tropical countries.
“The problem of the Nile, number one, is the lack of electricity in the tropics. When people don’t have electricity, they depend on biomass, and that is the real danger,” he said.
Museveni also added that limited industrialization is also accelerating environmental degradation, pointing out that when you have a big population that is not industrialized, people encroach on forests and wetlands for agriculture. With industrialisation, people do not have to depend on agriculture.
Museveni further cited global climate change as a contributing factor, pointing to carbon emissions from industrialized countries, and called for a comprehensive master plan for the Nile Basin focused on electrification and industrial growth.
Highlighting the impact of climate change, the President revealed that water flow from Uganda to South Sudan has declined over the years due to decreasing rainfall.
“In the 1960s, the water flow was about 60 billion cubic meters, but now it has reduced to about 40 billion cubic meters. The Nile has about 85 billion cubic meters of water at Khartoum, but the Congo River has about 3,000 billion cubic meters. The Congo can provide the equivalent of about 30 Niles if there is peace and cooperation,” he explained.
President Museveni stressed that Africa must focus on three historical missions: prosperity, strategic security, and brotherhood.
“Prosperity does not come from begging. If aid created prosperity, Latin America would be very rich, but they are still struggling. Prosperity comes from producing goods and services with calculation, selling them, and accessing markets,” he said.
Emphasizing the importance of patriotism and Pan-Africanism, the President added, “You need patriotism because you need Uganda for your own prosperity. But when you produce more, Uganda alone is not enough; that is why we talk about Pan-Africanism.”
On security, he said African countries must integrate to compete globally, noting that some global actors are talking about superiority on land, at sea, in the air, and in space, but African countries like Uganda, even if they were world-class, are too small and therefore integration gives them size and strength.
Drawing from his liberation experience, Museveni recalled the support of leaders such as Julius Nyerere and Samora Machel, which contributed to the growth of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
He emphasized the need for socio-economic transformation in tropical countries to protect the environment.
“The tropics must move from primitive agriculture to industry and services. Only a few people should remain in agriculture, and they should be skilled. We must protect the Nile from two dangers: primitive agriculture and lack of electricity. If we continue destroying biomass, the impact will be severe,” he cautioned.
The President also highlighted the importance of natural water towers such as the Rwenzori Mountains, Mount Kenya, and Mount Elgon, which sustain rainfall systems, noting that the problem is not water in Africa but ideological. Africa’s solutions are known, he said, but people are not focusing on the right issues.
Speaking on behalf of the Egyptian delegation, Maj. Gen. Khaled Elnahraway commended Uganda for its hospitality and the insights shared during their visit.
“We are honoured to meet Your Excellency and to visit one of the leading training institutions in Uganda. What we have seen is far beyond what we knew from the media,” he said.
The delegation also visited Jinja, where they witnessed the source of the Nile, describing it as a vital resource for both Uganda and Egypt.
The delegation received a briefing on Uganda’s role in regional peace and cooperation, including its participation in COMESA.
