Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 0829 EAT on Monday 2 November 2026
President Yoweri Museveni has asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to open the Russian market to Ugandan and other African products, including textiles, processed coffee, fish and leather goods, as the two countries seek to deepen economic cooperation.
Addressing the third Russia-Africa Summit, Vice President Jessica Alupo, who represented Museveni, said greater access to the Russian market would create opportunities for African producers and strengthen trade relations between the two sides.
“I also request His Excellency Putin to open the Russian market for our products such as textiles, processed coffee, fruits, fish products, leather products, cereals and vegetable oil,” Museveni said.
Museveni said the East African Community (EAC), which comprises Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, offers a combined market of 331 million people.
He urged Russian investors to take advantage of the region’s growing market by investing in infrastructure, energy and other productive sectors.
Museveni said regional integration had enabled EAC member states to expand their markets, allowing industries to grow beyond domestic demand, which he said was insufficient for several products.
He cited sugar, maize, dairy and steel products as examples of industries that depend on access to the wider regional market.
“A number of industries in Uganda would have had problems if it was not for the EAC regional market. The internal demand for products like sugar, maize, dairy products and steel products is not enough. That is how the region comes in to rescue us,” he said.
He said the EAC market also presents opportunities for Russian companies seeking to invest in the region and expand their operations across member states.
Museveni further linked regional integration to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which brings together a continental market of about 1.5 billion people, projected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2050.
He called on Russia to invest in infrastructure to improve connectivity across African markets, particularly railways, water transport systems and electricity generation.
Museveni identified hydropower, solar energy, gas and nuclear energy as areas in which Russian investment would be welcome.
“To connect this market and the wider African market, we need infrastructure such as the railways, the water transport platforms, etc. There is also the need for electricity in the form of hydro stations, solar systems, gas, nuclear stations, etc. Russian investments in these areas would be most welcome,” he said.
Beyond trade and investment, Museveni highlighted Russia’s historical role in Africa’s liberation struggles, saying the Soviet Union supported African countries in their fight for independence.
Describing himself as a veteran African freedom fighter, Museveni said he could not forget the Soviet Union’s contribution to the continent’s liberation, which he traced to the 1917 communist revolution.
He noted that much of Africa was under colonial rule at the time, with Ethiopia among the few countries that had largely maintained its independence.
Museveni said the Soviet Union continued to support African countries after independence, citing the construction of Egypt’s Aswan High Dam and the establishment of Busitema University in Uganda as examples of that cooperation.
He said Busitema University has since grown into an institution specialising in science, technology, engineering, agriculture and health sciences, with an enrolment of about 9,200 students.
-Observer
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