Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, focusing on reciprocal trade and strengthening commercial relations between Kampala and Washington.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of State, the two leaders discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest, including expanding trade opportunities and cooperation on migration management. Secretary Rubio also lauded Uganda as a “model of regional stability,” citing the country’s contributions to peacekeeping missions in East Africa.
The conversation comes amid ongoing negotiations on migration agreements between the United States and several African nations. Uganda has clarified that any cooperation with Washington on migration would be temporary and conditional, excluding individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors.
As one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, Uganda shelters nearly two million people displaced from South Sudan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo and the rest of Africa.
Kampala has over the years positioned its refugee policy as part of its broader commitment to regional peace and humanitarian responsibility.
The country’s open door policy to refugees is lauded by the United Nations as the best in the world. Uganda permits refugees to engage in productive activities and many have been assimilated among the country’s people who have severally been voted by expatriates as the friendliest in the world.
Museveni’s engagement with Secretary Rubio underscores Washington’s recognition of Uganda as both a strategic trade partner and a security and stability anchor in East Africa, the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.