Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. The government of Uganda has decided to take a step forward to beat the deadlines given by the United States on terminating trade under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) over anti-gay law. This followed the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni dispatching his son-in-law and trade adviser Odrek Rwabwogo to Washington, DC on an emergency mission to try to rescue the country’s looming expulsion from the AGOA duty-free scheme as the landlocked country scrambles to contain the fallout from its anti-gay law. Recently the U.S. State Department issued travel advisories, proposed visa restrictions, and threatened to remove Uganda from the AGOA list, all in three months.
Expulsion announcement
In October this year, United States President Joe Biden announced that he was planning to evict Gabon, Niger, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR) from the AGOA trade program. President Biden explained that the expulsion of these African countries is due to their records on human rights abuse and the rule of law. Biden’s letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, outlined his reasons for the decision, stating that the countries did not meet the eligibility requirements of section 104 of the AGOA. Biden also outlined that the governments of the CAR and Uganda had engaged in “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights”. He also cited Niger and the government of Gabon’s failure to establish or make continual progress toward the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law.
Rescue team
Over the weekend the Uganda trade delegation met with the U.S. Assistant Trade Representative for Africa, Ms. Constance Hamilton, and the U.S. special envoy to advance the Human rights of the LGBTQI+ people, Jessica Stern. The meeting took place in Washington DC at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Ms. Catherine Tai. The Uganda delegation which included Dr. Olivier Kamanzi, Uganda trade representative in Chicago, and Ambassador Roby Kakonge, was led by Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) and Senior Presidential Adviser on Special Duties.
Uganda’s plea
Mr Rwabwogo made a case for Uganda’s exporters who have for the last 23 years benefited from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty and quota-free market access to the U.S and urged the U.S government not to use disproportionate force against an ally whose values and relationship have stayed firm on multiple fronts over the years. He pleaded that Uganda has not violated any trade or human rights law. Adding that the country under President Museveni’s administration continues to score on economic liberalism, supporting free enterprise, protecting the environment, making laws on food safety, and building the best trade standards.
Rwabogo asserted that Uganda has never lost vigour for protecting minorities, and workers and leading the charge on regional stability along with ending extreme poverty to keep the nation stable and growing. He also said that it is a contradiction of mega proportion for a government that promotes free enterprise, freed women and gave them education and representation along with people with disabilities, and hosts over 1.6m refugees to be called a violator of human rights of her people. President Museveni’s son-in-law continued to explain to the U.S. that the current leadership has been defenders and fighters for the freedom of African people and all our allies and humanity since 1965. According to him, Uganda takes exception to the weekly threats and statements sent against people who want to trade with Uganda or visitors, academicians, and person-to-person exchange. He added that the statements that the U.S. issues to Uganda’s allies and trading partners monthly are unacceptable ways to communicate to allies and don’t show goodwill.
Uganda’s advice to the U.S
Uganda advised the U.S. government not to mix wrong perceptions picked from data sources that aren’t verifiable with the country’s systems and leaders and use them to make harsh judgments on Uganda. Rwabwogo explained the context of the law as an effort to protect children from the onslaught of curriculum and content that should not be exposed to minors.
U.S’s response
Ms. Hamilton said Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law ‘demonizes gay people and goes against the values President Biden’s government adheres to. She said, “Words matter and this law and the words it uses horrifies many people in the U.S. Jessica Sterns raised concerns on what she called ‘documented attacks on gay people and arrests and property damage which causes fear to gay people. Ambassador Kakonge agreed to follow up on the report from the U.S. special envoy on the human rights of LGBTQ persons.
U.S and Uganda trade relations
Uganda’s and U.S trade in the last three years averaged UGX 1.9 trillion (about USD550m) with a heavy trade imbalance in favour of the U.S that sells to Uganda aircraft parts, computers, used clothing, machine parts, generators, and much more. Uganda exports coffee, vanilla beans, chocolate, dairy products, fish, and other products. The East African country has increased its efforts for trade with the world aiming at USD 6bn in the next five years. PACEID has a target of USD 1bn on the U.S. market and is opening trade hubs in key markets of the world. The U.S. is an important ally and a big signalling market to Uganda and the world in terms of raising capital and technology for enterprises. At USD 18 trillion in consumption on this market, there is no better ally Uganda would wish to have than the U.S. as Rwabogo explained. Uganda requested the U.S. to revoke its decision to expel her from the AGOA duty-free scheme in January next year, to allow for more engagement between the two countries to protect trade relations.
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