President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will assume the chairmanship of the African Peer Review (APR) Forum of Heads of State and Government in February 2026, positioning Uganda at the forefront of continental governance and development priorities.
The announcement was made during a briefing at State House Entebbe, where a delegation from the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Continental Secretariat, led by Ambassador Marie-Antoinette Rose Quatre, the Secretariat’s Chief Executive Officer, met with Uganda’s APRM Focal Point, Hon. Amos Lugoloobi, Minister of State for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.
President Museveni will take over the leadership from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and will serve as Chairperson of the APR Forum for two years, from February 2026 to February 2028.
“The APR Forum of Heads of State and Government is the highest decision-making body of the African Peer Review Mechanism,” Ambassador Quatre explained. “At the opening ceremony, H.E. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of Algeria and current Chairperson, will hand over the APRM and AU flags, as well as the gavel, to Your Excellency. You will then deliver your inaugural statement as Chairperson, guide the closed Summit session, and later present the Forum’s report to the AU Summit.”
She added that Uganda’s leadership will extend to various APRM structures: “Your Excellency, the APRM Focal Point of Uganda will automatically assume the Chairmanship of the APRM Focal Points Committee, while the National Governing Council and Secretariat will also take on leadership roles at the continental level. We feel privileged that this great responsibility will be under your stewardship.”
In his response, President Museveni welcomed the new role, describing the APRM as a vital platform for exchanging ideas and correcting historical missteps. “I thank you for the brief. The APR was a good initiative because it gave us a chance to share ideas. The biggest mistake since independence has been the issue of ideas—people were groping in the dark, touching here and there, and with a false sense of sovereignty, they feared that sharing ideas would be seen as interfering in internal affairs. As a result, we lost a lot of time until this opportunity came up,” he said.
Reflecting on Africa’s development journey, the President drew parallels with Europe’s intellectual struggles during the Renaissance. “I have been watching and involved for the last 60 years, and I have seen all sorts of conceptual mistakes. This is not new—even Europe went through the same. At the time of the Renaissance, they ran up and down with confused ideas. Those who studied economics thought mercantilism was the solution, believing that if they had gold and silver, they had made it,” he observed.
He added that it took the writings of Adam Smith to redirect Europe’s economic thinking. “Smith pointed out that the critical issue was division of labour, specialisation, and exchange. Once that was understood, people began to wake up. It stressed micro-economic operations, which are the building blocks of wealth creation. That is why this APR platform is important; it gives us the opportunity to exchange and refine our thinking,” he said.
Looking ahead to the February session, President Museveni highlighted market integration as a key priority.
“It will be good to audit in February, and I am sure market integration will be one of the ten points for discussion. If businesspeople don’t have a guaranteed market, how do they expand? That is the problem of Latin America. It has more resources than the USA: rivers, forests, minerals—but because of poor organisation, businesses cannot succeed. Meanwhile, in the USA, if I produce a product in New York, it can reach California with ease, backed by numbers and purchasing power,” he explained.
On industrialisation, he cautioned against Africa’s continued export of raw materials. “Selling raw materials is a disaster. For every raw material you sell unprocessed, you are donating money and jobs. If you want copper, process it to 99.9% purity. Some can serve our local industries, and the rest can be exported. That way, we benefit through vertical and horizontal integration,” he said.
He emphasised that Africa’s competitiveness will depend on reducing production costs: “You must have low transport costs, low electricity costs, and affordable bank credit. Without these, how can manufacturing survive?”
Hon. Lugoloobi commended the preparations, saying: “These consultations come at the right time as we align with continental initiatives such as the rationalisation of African credit rating agencies and the African Migration Governance Conference, already approved by Cabinet.”
He added that Kampala will automatically become the APRM Capital once President Museveni assumes the chairmanship: “With your leadership, we are certain the APRM will reach another level. We look forward to significant milestones that will cement Your Excellency’s legacy,” he said.
President Museveni concluded by expressing confidence in Uganda’s readiness: “I am very happy and looking forward to this responsibility,” he said.