The Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), Odrek Rwabwogo, is leading a Ugandan delegation in the United States of America to advocate against Uganda’s expulsion from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
At the start of this month, President Museveni wrote a reply to U.S. President Joe Biden who had earlier written to him regarding the AGOA issue.
The letter was handed to the Ambassador of the United States of America (USA) to Uganda, H.E William W. Popp to deliver it to the U.S. leader.
While speaking to CNBC Africa, Rwabwogo made a case for Uganda, explaining why the country needs the anti-homosexuality law on one hand and continued trade relations with the U.S. on the other.
“But we find it strange that those of us who come to you with open hands, you don’t allow us legroom…Rather than issuing demarches and penalizing, that’s not a very healthy relationship…,” he told CNBC Africa.
Rwabwogo said he had travelled with representatives of young people’s businesses and women-headed businesses that are benefiting from AGOA. “There are a lot of partners we can trade with but we really like this market. We like the institutions in the West. We speak English,” he said, reminding the U.S. that Africa has many people in the diaspora.
He urged the U.S. government not to use disproportionate force against Uganda whose values and relationship have stayed firm on multiple fronts over the years.
“Our country made a law, not the government. The MPs and the population in a very democratic way made a particular law. The law is to protect minors and our children from the torrential money and curriculum that tries to make them adults when they are young. But we are confronted with deadlines, “January 1, if you don’t really repeal that law”…well knowing that the process that led to the law cannot be done in three weeks, cannot be done in a month…” he explained.
According to him, Uganda is a very open economy with many opportunities for those who seek to invest.
“We actually took off the hinges in terms of what you call industrial policy. We liberalised our economy. We sold all our private enterprises. In Uganda, you can bring in a million dollars and take it out at 19%…no one asks questions. We have an outsized role in the region in terms of security, we have done the things that partners do with the U.S. Why can we not discuss this issue that we think can be resolved?” he wondered.
While meeting with the U.S. Assistant Trade Representative for Africa, Ms. Constance Hamilton and the US special envoy to advance the Human rights of the LGBTQI+ people, Jessica Stern in Washington DC on December 7, Rwabwogo made a case for Uganda’s exporters who have for the last 23 years benefited from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty and quota-free market access to the US.
“Uganda has not violated any trade or human rights law. We continue under President Yoweri Museveni’s capable leadership to score on economic liberalism, supporting free enterprise, protecting our environment, making laws on food safety and building our trade standards,” he stated.
“We have never lost our vigour for protecting minorities, and workers and leading the charge on regional stability along with ending extreme poverty to keep our nation stable and growing”.
Rwabwogo explained the context of the law as an effort to protect children from the onslaught of curriculum and content that should not be exposed to minors.
He asked for rescinding the January 2024 deadline to allow for more engagement between the two countries in order to protect trade relations.
Uganda’s and U.S. trade in the last three years averaged UGX 1.9 trillion (about USD550m) with a heavy trade imbalance in favour of the U.S. that sells to Uganda aircraft parts, computers, used clothing, machine parts, generators etc.
Uganda exports coffee, vanilla beans, chocolate, dairy products, and fish, among others. Uganda has set an ambitious target to increase its exports to the United States from the current $80m to $1bn by 2030.
