NEWS– President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged African Leaders to resist foreign ideologies that threaten African family foundations saying that this resistance must be coupled with a determined pursuit of economic and political integration to secure Africa’s future.
President Museveni waa speaking at the 3rd African Regional Inter-Parliamentary Conference at State House Entebbe he hosted with Mrs Janet Museveni in line with this year’s theme, “Towards an African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty,”
The 3rd African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty and Values held in Entebbe from May 9th to 11th 2025 focuses on family, sovereignty and values within an African context.
The conference was attended by key Parliamentary leaders who includes the Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia Rt Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan Rt Hon Jemma Nunu Kumba, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Rt Hon Vital Kamerhe and tge Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Rt Hon Tsitsi Gezi.
President Museveni began by affirming his alignment with the growing movement across Africa to preserve traditional values saying that in Uganda he belongs to the ruling National Resistance Movement, but can now see being recruited into the Continental Resistance Movement.
“I want to congratulate you for coming together to take a stand against this disorientation. When people stop doing the correct things and start doing wrong things, that’s disorientation and for some people to want to spread that, it’s really criminal. But it won’t work. It will fail.” President Museveni said.
The President criticized attempts by some global institutions to pressure African countries into adopting foreign sexual and reproductive rights agendas, citing the Samoa Agreement between the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) as an example.
“I appeal to you to study that Samoa document that talks about all these things you are talking about , then we shall have to pull out of it. I heard about it and Uganda didn’t sign anything yet,” He said.
President Museveni emphasized the natural stages of growth and the dangers of prematurely exposing children to adult concepts and emphasized that defending the family requires more than moral conviction; it requires economic and political power.
“There will be no nation without families. But also, you need to know that it’s not easy to have successful families without countries. I’m here in multiple capacities. I am a husband, a father, a grandfather. But I am also here as a freedom fighter. To protect our families, we must strengthen Africa economically and politically,” He emphasized.
He said the arrogance of some foreign actors was due to Africa’s own internal weaknesses and called for the consolidation of the African market, saying no single African country could sustain prosperity alone.
Furthermore, the President condemned protectionism sentiments that seek to block intra African trade and warned that without a bigger market, Africa’s wealth creators would remain poor and ineffective.
He called for full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and political federation to enhance strategic security and collective strength.
While speaking at the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Kataha Museveni urged African leaders to stand firm in defending the continent’s sovereignty, values, and families, warning that global pressures are eroding the foundations of African societies and emphasized the need for African nations to reduce dependence on foreign funding and external ideologies.
“It is an honour to join committed leaders from across our continent to reflect on one of the most urgent calls of our time: the preservation of our sovereignty, our values, and our families,” Mrs Museveni said.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt Hon Anita Annet Among urged legislators across the continent to stand strong in defense of African identity and the foundational role of the family.
“The family is under threat, Values of love, respect, belonging, and unity are being eroded. But the family remains the cornerstone of every society. A society without values is simply a reflection of a family without values. Indeed, society is the mirror of the family,” She said.
She urged participants to deliberate deeply and share practical ideas that will shape the realization of an African family charter.
“There are forces working against our foundational family values. These forces seek to divide and defeat us. But if we remain united, we will prevail. Let us stand tall, history will judge us fairly as those who stood firm in defense of the family when it was under threat,” She stressed.
The Chairperson of the 3rd African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty, Hon Sarah Opendi rallied African legislators to reclaim the continent’s identity and autonomy and emphasized the urgent need for an African Charter that enshrines values rooted in the continent’s heritage and strengthens sovereignty across sectors.
“We, as African legislators, are moving toward developing an African Charter to promote our values and independence. Our leaders have not always spoken with one voice, and for too long, we’ve depended on foreign support to fund critical sectors like health, education, infrastructure, and agriculture,” She said.
She revealed that the charter under development will focus on key pillars including health sovereignty, education sovereignty, infrastructure development, and the preservation of African cultural values.
She noted that at the end of this conference, they intend to draft a comprehensive African Charter which will serve as a legacy document that we can present to Heads of State and Presidents for adoption. The President of Family Watch International, Mrs Sharon Slater urged African leaders to stand against foreign ideologies that undermine family values, calling for a strong African protocol to protect the institution of the family.
“Your Excellency, we are so grateful that you have hosted this event for years in a row, and we hope that you will champion this protocol and make it have power for Africa to push back this sexual impunity back to the West,” Sharon Slater said.
She highlighted the growing influence of foreign ideologies, particularly around gender and sexual rights, which she said threaten the very core of family and national strength and warned that such perspectives show how foreign interests view and seek to control other regions, including Africa.
The event was attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa and Members of Parliament from Uganda and across Africa, a cross section of religious and cultural leaders
