President Museveni Calls for East African Integration to Drive Prosperity and Security

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged East African countries to embrace integration as the surest path to prosperity, security, and transformation.

Speaking at the opening of the 1st Regional Ministerial Conference on the East African Community Common Higher Education Area (EACCHEA) at Speke Resort, Munyonyo, on Tuesday, the President outlined five reasons why integration is essential: prosperity, socio-economic transformation, Pan-Africanism, democracy, and strategic security.

He emphasized that prosperity can only be achieved if individuals, families, and companies produce goods or services sustainably and sell them in wider markets.

“The only way to achieve prosperity is when each family, company, or individual is involved in producing a good or a service with ekibaaro (calculation). If you do that sustainably and sell it, you will get money and solve your problems,” the President said.

Museveni noted that unity is necessary to expand markets, overcome divisive politics of identity, and build patriotism, which he described as the first principle of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

He stressed that education must support socio-economic transformation by equipping citizens to benefit from regional markets. He added that democracy and strategic security are also pillars of integration, noting that Uganda’s progress as a lower middle-income country would not be sustainable without regional stability.

“With all that is happening all over the world, if you are weak you cannot survive. Apart from economic integration for the whole of Africa, where possible there should also be political integration,” he said.

The President also called for reforms in the education sector, particularly resolving curriculum and syllabus issues, to ensure that better learning supports development.

On her part, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, recalled that in May 2017 the East African Community was declared a Common Higher Education Area. She noted that this conference marks the first Regional Ministerial Conference on Higher Education to review the journey since the declaration.

“I believe that the review of our Common Higher Education Area during this Conference shall also help us answer questions such as: First, the extent to which as EAC partner states we have made our Common Higher Education Area not only competitive as an attraction for both students and academic faculty, but also the private sector as true partners in development,” she said.

“Second, the extent to which the Common Higher Education Area has become a catalyst for the various efforts by partner states to bring about socio-economic transformation of their people.”

Maama Janet said ministers responsible for education in the region do not see themselves merely as policymakers but as stewards of a shared vision for socio-economic transformation. She emphasized that higher education is both an enabler and a critical building block for the East African Community.

She further noted that young people expect mobility of talent and mutual recognition of qualifications, while the private sector looks to higher education to deliver innovations and services that meet industry needs. Governments, she added, will recognize its relevance when higher education provides pragmatic policy solutions to pressing societal problems.

“This strengthens the case for the elimination of all barriers to the realization of a truly integrated and common Higher Education Area—one in which the sub-sector is perceived by both the private sector and the state as a valuable partner in socio-economic transformation, and not merely another area of expenditure,” she urged.

Citing Uganda’s Parish Development Model (PDM), the First Lady questioned how higher education institutions could support grassroots programs to address community challenges. She encouraged universities to adopt a cottage industry mindset, helping graduates innovate from their households rather than waiting for formal employment.

“As most of you already know, the challenges our people face are not unique to a particular partner state but transcend national borders—and as such demand regional solutions. Can a Common Higher Education Area be the source of such solutions?” she asked.

Maama Janet added that the Common Higher Education Area would not only make East Africa more attractive to students from within and outside Africa but also position the region as a nucleus of excellence, innovation, and competitiveness.

“As Uganda, we reaffirm our government’s commitment to supporting the EAC Common Higher Education Area in various ways. We look forward to this Conference laying a strong foundation for the implementation of resolutions that will transform our region’s education landscape for generations to come,” she stated.

The National Council for Higher Education Executive Director and Chairperson of the Forum of CEOs of National Councils and Commissions for Higher Education in East Africa, Prof. Mary J.N. Okwakol, described the conference as a landmark moment for the region.

“This Conference signals a shared commitment to a higher education system that is coherent, competitive, and trusted across the region,” Prof. Okwakol said.

She highlighted the need to harmonize education systems, boost student and labor mobility, strengthen research collaboration, and address quality assurance challenges, while commending President Museveni for his support of science and innovation.

The Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona, praised President Museveni’s vision and Uganda’s hosting of the event, calling the meeting a “landmark event” in East Africa’s integration journey.

He reaffirmed IUCEA’s commitment to advancing curriculum harmonization, academic mobility, and collaborative research.

“The free movement of skilled graduates, enabled by mutual recognition of qualifications and supported by scholarship programs, is not a distant ideal. It is a necessary condition for the success of the EAC Common Market and the broader integration agenda,” he said.

Prof. Banyankimbona urged partner states to use the conference not only to celebrate progress but also to strengthen institutional mechanisms that will sustain the EACCHEA for generations to come.

Representing the EAC Secretary-General, Hon. Andrea Ariik, Deputy Secretary-General of the EAC, described the conference as “historic,” being the first time ministers responsible for higher education have convened specifically on the regionalization agenda.

He highlighted key milestones since the 2017 declaration of the EACCHEA, including the East African Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, the regional quality assurance framework, and policies supporting staff and student mobility and credit transfer.

“By working together, our higher education institutions can break barriers, harmonize standards, and unleash the full potential of our youth, academics, and researchers,” Hon. Ariik said.

While noting these achievements, he pointed to challenges such as underfunding, outdated infrastructure, and staff shortages. He called for urgent investment in digital transformation and sustainable research financing.