U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a special representative to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, underscoring continued diplomatic engagement between Kampala and Washington.
According to President Museveni, he met Mr. Nick Checker, Senior Bureau Official in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, at State House Entebbe ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
Checker is representing Trump at the event together with a U.S. delegation.
During the meeting, Museveni emphasized the importance of value addition and industrialisation across Africa, arguing that the continent must move away from exporting raw materials without processing them locally.
“We cannot continue exporting raw materials such as coffee, oil and minerals without processing them. Value addition is crucial for expanding Africa’s GDP, creating jobs and increasing the purchasing power of our people,” Museveni said.
The Ugandan leader welcomed the American official and wished him a fruitful stay in the country.
The presence of a representative from the Trump administration at the inauguration is likely to be viewed as a signal of continued U.S. interest in relations with Uganda and the wider East African region, particularly on trade, investment and regional stability.
President Museveni is expected to use the new term to further push his government’s agenda on industrialisation, regional integration and economic transformation.
