Museveni bags several deals in Vietnam, Speaker Among rallies for EA integration through sports, DR Congo announces election date, Uhuru agrees with Kagame on M23

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni spent most of last week on a ‘hunting exhibition’ in Vietnam that ended well as his country Uganda and Vietnam signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the fields of Education, Agriculture, Information Communication Technology and Foreign Affairs. The MOUs were signed by the respective ministers for Uganda and their counterparts from Vietnam. Gen Jeje Odongo on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda and his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son signed an agreement on exemption for Visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passports.

They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the two foreign ministries. The Ministry of ICT represented by Dr. Chris Baryomunsi and that of Information and Communication of Vietnam represented by Nguyen Mahn Hung signed a Memorandum of Understanding on information and communications. The Ministry of Education and Sports of Uganda and that of Education and Training of Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Education and training. Frank Tumwebaze the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries of Uganda and the Vietnam’s Academy of Agricultural Sciences represented by Nguyen Hoang Hiep signed a Memorandum of Understanding for scientific and technical cooperation. Speaking after the bilateral talks, President Museveni said Uganda and Africa in general are moving forward despite the several setbacks.

Museveni said he is looking forward to sharing more on boosting trade in goods and services given the availability of market of not only in Uganda with its 43 million population, but also the East African market of 300 million people and the African market of 1.3 billion people.

He later invited his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuân Phúc to Uganda to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting in Uganda in December 2023. The NAM is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide and Uganda was endorsed to chair the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period from 2022 to 2025.

The host, President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said Vietnam has for long been following the developments in Uganda, and thanked his visiting counterpart for maintaining political stability, social economic development and the fight against Covid and of late Ebola.

He also commended Uganda’s active contributions at regional and international forums especially the United Nations and the African Union but also expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of Vietnam for the support from the government of Uganda towards their fight for national liberation.

Speaker Among stresses importance of sports in EAC integration process

Speaker Anita Among has stressed the need to use sports as a tool to deepen the East Africa Community integration process. The Speaker last week led a delegation of Members of Parliament and staff to compete in the East African Parliamentary Games in Juba, South Sudan. Among said the games play a fundamental role in enhancing interaction with members of the national parliaments in the partner states.

Among acknowledged President Museveni whose efforts under the available regional avenues, have ensured the South Sudan recovery from civil war to peace and stability including the creation of a unified army.

Team Uganda team raised the stakes at the games with a 4-1 demolition of Burundi in a football match. In the athletics competition, Uganda scooped 14 gold medals,4 silver and 2 bronze. Uganda’s basketball team defeated Kenya’s 55-19.

DR Congo to hold elections in 2023

Presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be held on 20 December next year, the electoral commission announced last week. The AFP news agency reports that the head of the electoral commission acknowledged that “persistent insecurity in some parts of the territory” would make holding a “free, democratic and transparent” vote challenging.

But the authorities are determined to stick to the timetable. Current President Félix Tshisekedi, who first came to power in January 2019, has already said he will run for a second term, according to AFP. Tshisekedi took over from Joseph Kabila – the first time in DR Congo that power was transferred peacefully.

Uhuru convinces Kagame on M23

Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday said Rwandan leader Paul Kagame had agreed to influence ceasefire by M23 rebels, currently fighting Congolese forces. The announcement came in a communique after Kenyatta, who is the East African Community facilitator of the Nairobi peace process for Democratic Republic Congo, spoke with regional leaders, The East African reported.

Rwanda did not immediately comment on the communique but the revelations may signal the influence Rwanda has on the rebel group, even though the Kagame administration denies supporting them.

Kenyatta had this week visited Kinshasa and Goma where he held consultation meetings on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also visited the internally displaced persons’ camps in Goma and Rutshuru, North Kivu.