Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was last weekend awarded the Asia Business Leaders Forum (ABLF) Statesman Award 2022 in recognition of his visionary leadership.
The ABLF Awards, are a premier, integrity-led recognition platform, founded in 2007. It focuses on acknowledging the intellectual capital of inspirational Asian leaders across the globe. It showcases leaders whose entrepreneurial brilliance is second only to their sense of responsibility and accountability towards the communities, countries and the global markets that they live and work within.
The ABLF Awards Grand Ceremony celebrates towering examples of principle-centred sustainable leadership. It recognises excellence, innovation, good governance and best business practices in the region, and brings together the regions’ finest leaders whose achievements have ensured that this century truly belongs to Asia. The 2022, ABLF Awards Gala is significant because the Expo 2020 Dubai, has chosen the ABLF as the only high-level Asian Business Awards at the Expo. This year’s ABLF Awards is themed – ‘Resilience Rising: The Great Reset’ and the aim is to reward the courage, spirit and fortitude of iconic stalwarts who are redefining the parameters of ‘sustainable progress’ in the pandemic-ravaged world.
Mr Museveni, who was awarded alongside former UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki Moon, was represented at the ceremony at the Dubai Expo, by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija.
Meanwhile the Commander of the Land Forces in Uganda, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has stuck to his guns, expressing support for Russia invading Ukraine. Gen Muhoozi, whose twitter handle has become a topical discussion in the country was blasted by his followers last week for tweeting in support of Russia. The BBC website carried a story painting the second highest ranking commander in Uganda in bad light. “Son of President Museveni, and Commander of Uganda’s land forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has expressed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He tweeted that “the majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine”,” the BBC tweeted.
Muhoozi took on a barrage of insults following his tweet, but the General who prides in the many wars he has fought did not take the insults lying down. He later tweeted praising African countries that had supported Russia at the United Nations General Assembly. “Algeria, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique I thank these historical defenders of Africa and many others for rejecting the UN resolution against our partner the Russian Federation,” Muhoozi stated on March4. He later posted a historic photo of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, then a young soldier while in Mozambique, stating; “And if this picture is true, that President Putin was a comrade of our Great and Heroic leader Samora Machel in 1973? During the dark days of struggle against colonialism and imperialism? Then every African on earth must support President Putin and Russia in this struggle!”
Meanwhile the Russian Embassy in Kampala have ridiculed international sanctions against the country for attacking Ukraine. The Embassy tweeted claiming that while the government of Russia was prepared for any sanctions against it, and adding it was ridiculous that the international world had chosen to extend the sanctions to businessmen, sports personalities among others. The tweet further stated that soon the sanctions would extend to Russian cats. The performance of the rouble over recent days suggest that this confidence may be misplaced.
Beyond Russia, Gen Muhoozi was also the carrier of news that the Government of Rwanda had further agreed to fully reopen the Gatuna border post that separates Uganda from Rwanda. Earlier this year the First Son brokered a deal in which the Rwandan President Gen Paul Kagame agreed to end a 3-year stalemate between his government and that of Uganda. This stalemate had resulted in Rwanda closing its borders to Ugandan traders and travelers. Rwanda later agreed to open the border posts but then kept some restrictions in place because of Covid-19 concerns.
On March 5, Muhoozi tweeted; “As of Monday 7th March my uncle His Excellency President Kagame has permitted greater movement of people across our borders! I thank him very much for re-uniting our people. I also thank him for being a great hero!” He later tweeted on Sunday; “The border is fully opening tomorrow. Me and my uncle (President Kagame) achieved in 7 hours what all the diplomats on earth failed to achieve. I think we need a prize.”
