KAMPALA- President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today opened the 8th African Leadership Forum which started today April 7th and ends tomorrow 8th April 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
While speaking at the fully attended event, President Museveni emphasized that Africa cannot achieve sustainable development without a deliberate process of economic and ideological transformation.
President Museveni reminded delegates that even before independence, Africa’s primary challenge was the lack of political power and after gaining independence, many countries descended into chaos due to weak states and a lack of purposeful politics.
President Museveni explained that in Uganda, the economy has evolved through six distinct phases: minimum recovery, economic expansion, diversification, value addition, the knowledge economy and now a focus on science and innovation, including vaccine production.
The President noted that when discussing sustainable development, they should refer to building a new economy driven by transformation.
The 8th African Leadership Forum has drawn leaders from across the continent to address pressing developmental challenges and this6 year’s Forum theme is, “Realizing Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: Progress and Way Forward,” which underscores the urgent need to accelerate progress toward the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The Forum is co-convened by former President of Tanzania Dr. Jakaya Kikwete and African Leadership Forumm Patron, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn and histed by Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
African Leadership Forum brings together former heads of state, government officials, business leaders, academics, and civil society representatives to foster candid discussions under Chatham House Rules.
Key topics that are being discussed at the Forum include tackling corruption, enhancing governance, and boosting critical sectors like health, education and agriculture areas where Africa has lagged behind global targets.
The Forum has until 2020 to produce actionable strategies, including the Kampala Declaration, to drive sustainable, inclusive growth across the continent.
President Museveni’s presence at the event has highlights Uganda’s growing role in regional leadership dialogues as his administration has emphasized economic self-sufficiency, with recent remarks critiquing historical economic policies and advocating for infrastructure investment to lower business costs.
The event aligns with the 11th Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-11), also to be hosted at Speke Resort Munyonyo from April 9th to 11th which amplify its significance.
Organized by the UONGOZI Institute and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Leaders Forum offers a platform for Africa to chart its own course and delegates focus remains on turning commitments into tangible outcomes for a continent at a crossroads.
