KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged African content creators to use their digital platforms to promote the continent’s history, cultural identity, achievements and development aspirations, arguing that Africa’s transformation depends on addressing five historical missions.
Museveni identified the five missions as liberation, democracy, economic prosperity, strategic security and African unity, saying they should guide the continent’s development agenda and shape how younger generations understand Africa’s past and future.
The President made the remarks at State House, Entebbe, where he hosted a delegation of prominent content creators from Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The delegation included Berthold Kobina Ackon from Ghana, Masiliso Mutumba from Zambia, Salim Athumani Kikeke from Tanzania, Daniel Wambua Ndambuki from Kenya and Christine Lynghamar Kia, a Ugandan national based in Sweden.
Museveni said he invited the creators after watching some of their online discussions about African history, culture and languages. He described the meeting as an opportunity to share historical perspectives and knowledge that could enrich their storytelling about the continent.
“I decided to invite you to give you the content of the Jjajas, the old people, because you are content creators. The content I want to give you is something we have been talking about for a long time,” he said.
Using the analogy of a patient and a doctor, Museveni compared societies to patients and leaders to doctors, arguing that effective solutions require a proper understanding of the problems affecting communities.
He said Africa had considerable foundations for wealth creation, including agriculture, craftsmanship, traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge. He also identified the continent’s cultural heritage and linguistic diversity as resources that could contribute to its development.
However, he argued that internal divisions, poor governance and conflicts between communities and kingdoms had historically weakened African societies, leaving them vulnerable to external domination.
He urged younger generations and contemporary leaders to learn from those experiences by embracing unity, cooperation and collective action.
Museveni outlines five missions for Africa
The first mission, according to Museveni, is liberation from colonial rule.
He recalled the struggles of African freedom fighters and highlighted the influence of international developments, including support from the Soviet Union and the weakening of European colonial powers following the two World Wars, in advancing independence movements.
He cited the establishment of liberation movements, including the African National Congress (ANC) in 1912, as important milestones in the struggle for freedom. He also pointed to South Africa’s transition to majority rule in 1994 as a significant achievement in the continent’s liberation history.
The second mission is democracy, which Museveni said requires governance systems that reflect the political will and interests of citizens.
The third is economic prosperity, which he argued should be driven by production rather than dependence on foreign assistance.
He said Africa needed to increase the production of goods and services that could compete in viable markets, noting that the continent possessed the natural resources, human potential and productive capacity required to achieve economic transformation.
However, he identified fragmented markets as a major obstacle to the continent’s economic progress.
“Your prosperity depends more on the whole of Uganda than on your tribe,” he said, emphasising the importance of patriotism and national cohesion.
Museveni argued that as businesses expand production beyond the purchasing capacity of domestic markets, they must seek opportunities across national borders.
He consequently highlighted regional and continental integration through the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as important frameworks for expanding markets, attracting investment, creating employment and supporting industrial growth.
The fourth mission is strategic security.
Museveni said African countries needed to develop the capacity to protect their interests against external threats, arguing that greater political and economic cooperation would strengthen the continent’s ability to safeguard its land, air, water and space.
He observed that individual countries could struggle to develop all the capabilities required to secure these strategic domains independently, making cooperation among African states necessary.
Museveni calls for greater African unity
The fifth mission is African unity, which the President described as fundamental to achieving economic prosperity and strategic security.
He urged African leaders to learn from historical mistakes and strengthen cooperation rather than allow political and other differences to undermine the continent’s shared interests.
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“If the past kings made mistakes in uniting us, what are you doing, you the African leaders?” he challenged.
Museveni also encouraged Africans to recognise their shared historical, cultural and linguistic connections, saying these provided a foundation for advancing the continent’s collective interests.
Content creators praise Uganda’s industrial progress
The visiting content creators welcomed the engagement, saying it had given them a deeper understanding of Africa’s history, development journey and future aspirations.
They expressed particular interest in Uganda’s industrial capacity, highlighting locally manufactured products, including buses produced by Kiira Motors Corporation.
The delegation said perceptions of Uganda and Africa in Europe and other parts of the world did not always reflect the continent’s progress in industrial development, investment, innovation and economic transformation.
They expressed interest in establishing platforms through which young Africans could share their stories, cultures and experiences, promote a better understanding of the continent and showcase its achievements to international audiences.
The creators also pledged to share Museveni’s message with their respective audiences in Africa and beyond, highlighting African unity, economic transformation and the importance of Africans taking ownership of their continent’s narrative.
