Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he is happy to witness what he described as the end of a long period of betrayal of Africa.
Museveni made the remarks on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the planned Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery in Lamu, Kenya.
“I am happy to be alive to witness the betrayal of Africa, which has gone on for years, finally coming to an end,” Museveni said.
The Ugandan leader linked his remarks to Africa’s long struggle with exporting raw materials instead of processing them locally.
Museveni has argued that African countries lose jobs and income when they export raw products and later buy back finished goods at higher prices. He gave examples from coffee, gold and cotton while explaining the importance of value addition.
The Dangote refinery project has therefore become part of the wider discussion about industrialisation and value addition on the continent.
The facility is planned to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and supply petroleum products to Kenya and other countries in the region. Construction is expected to take about 40 months.
Museveni also praised Aliko Dangote for moving from importing products to building industries that add value within Africa.
He said such investments could help African countries create jobs, increase production and keep more wealth within the continent.
The President further used the occasion to renew his call for deeper East African integration. He argued that stronger regional cooperation would give industries access to larger markets and make it easier for African businesses to expand.
His comments come as Uganda continues to promote industrialisation, local processing and regional trade under its current development programme. The Ugandan government has identified value addition, infrastructure, wealth creation and regional integration as key areas of its development agenda.
The Lamu refinery groundbreaking has therefore placed fresh attention on Africa’s efforts to move from exporting raw materials to building industries on the continent.