Kampala, Uganda | THE BLACK EXAMINER | Odrek Rwabogo, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), has expressed deep concern regarding the recent decision by the United States government to remove Uganda from the list of beneficiaries eligible to access the American market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Rwabogo, who also serves as a senior presidential adviser to President Museveni, expressed his disappointment with the U.S. decision to terminate Uganda’s participation in the trade program. He stated that U.S. President Biden’s reasoning for this decision was primarily because Uganda’s democratically elected parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which he and his colleagues in the U.S. Democratic party disapproved of.

“It appears that the decision to exclude Uganda from AGOA was not based on the popularity of the Anti-Homosexuality Act among Ugandans, as numerous reputable western opinion research polls confirm. Instead, it seems that President Biden and his colleagues disagreed with it, leading to this punitive action against Ugandans,” he remarked.

Rwabogo also questioned the motivation behind this decision, suggesting that it might be related to domestic political considerations, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. election. He emphasized that no Ugandan, regardless of their sexual orientation, would benefit from this action.

Although Uganda’s trade with the U.S. through AGOA was limited, Rwabogo pointed out that increasing exports to the U.S. and other international partners was a crucial element of Uganda’s economic strategy for the future.

He expressed concern that the U.S. decision sends a message to all Ugandans and Africans that their economic prospects are contingent on aligning their voting choices with the values of the current U.S. administration rather than their own.

Rwabogo highlighted that democracy is facing challenges in Africa, and instability is on the rise. In contrast, Uganda stands as a rare example of an African economy that upholds both Western values of democracy and the rule of law while respecting traditional African values.

He stressed that the AGOA program was established to foster economic growth, good governance, and free markets in Africa, not as a punitive measure against African countries based on their political choices.

Analysts have also noted that Uganda’s removal from AGOA will have adverse consequences for the Ugandan economy, including higher tariffs on Ugandan exports to the U.S., making their products less competitive.