Uganda: Most African Leaders Backward - Museveni

By Siraje Lubwama

For a man who preaches 'modernisation, President Museveni could easily feel out of place among fellow African leaders - whom he has described as backward.
Opening the fourth Mayors' World Future Councils (WFC) conference at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort on Wednesday Museveni suggested most of his colleagues were holding their economies back.
"Most African leaders and fellow Africans are backward because of their tendencies in developing their countries. Europeans can't tell you this because they are polite yet we can't continue going on like that," Museveni said.
The three-day conference, the first in Africa, runs on the theme: "Making the case for regeneration of urban development: a guiding framework for urbanizing East Africa." It is attended by diplomats and mayors from East Africa and other continents.
Museveni said USA, with 320 million people on three million square miles, is developed because it injects most of its resources in industries and hotels. He said in USA only two per cent of the population engages in commercial agriculture.
"How do you know a country is backward? One reason is having more people in the agricultural sector than in industries; secondly when you have more people in
rural than in urban areas, you qualify to be backward. Judge yourselves and know where you fall. Do not forget that you must have more people in town supported by industries," Museveni said amidst ululations.
The president said he had had trouble explaining to some of his "backward ministers and civil servants here" that whereas a factory on one acre can employ 2,000 to 3,000 people, the same area in agriculture can only employee one person.
"In Economics, supporting agriculture more than industries is referred to as disguised employment. It is high time sleeping African leaders who don't buy this strategy woke up because the last time I inquired about the income of Sheraton hotel, I was told it generates $15m profit a year on its small land, which money cannot be generated from ten acres of agriculture," Museveni said.
Museveni also attacked land fragmentation that often ensues when the head of family dies.
"When somebody dies and goes to hell, paradise or wherever, the heir should keep the land intact, the second orphan should join the army and the third one should become a priest and wait for their shares from there. Keep the land together as a family and sleep on top of the other if possible but fragmenting the land is a stupid idea," added Museveni.
Museveni ended his speech at 8:18pm and declined an invitation from KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju to join other guests for a cocktail, saying he was not into cocktails. In her speech, KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi thanked Museveni for supporting City Hall in the last three years.