Museveni asks Putin to open Russian market
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Observer
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has asked Vladimir Putin to further open the Russian market to Ugandan and African products, particularly textiles, processed coffee and fish products. His request, presented by Vice-President Jessica Alupo at the Russia-Africa summit, aims to strengthen trade, according to The Observer.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has asked Russia to open its market to Ugandan and African products, including textiles, processed coffee, fruit, fish, leather, cereals and vegetable oil. The request was presented by Ugandan Vice-President Jessica Alupo, who represented Museveni at the third Russia-Africa summit, The Observer reports.
Museveni also invited Russian investors to finance infrastructure, energy and other productive sectors in the East African Community (EAC), which comprises eight countries and, he said, represents a market of 331 million people. He cited railways, inland waterway transport, hydropower, solar power, gas and nuclear energy among the areas where Uganda wants to attract Russian capital.
The Ugandan president said domestic demand was not sufficient to support some industries, including sugar, maize, dairy products and steel. He also linked the EAC market to that of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which brings together about 1.5 billion people and could have 2.5 billion by 2050, according to The Observer.
Vice-President Jessica Alupo had represented Yoweri Museveni at the Russia-Africa summit on 26 October 2026, a step preceding the Ugandan president’s request to Vladimir Putin.
