PRESIDENT MUSEVENI PLEDGES SUPPORT TO OACPS, OFFERS UGANDA AS POTENTIAL NEW HEADQUARTERS

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to support the
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and offered
Uganda as a potential host for the organisation’s future headquarters as it prepares to relocate from Brussels, Belgium.

The President made the commitment today during a meeting with the
OACPS Secretary General, H.E. Moussa Saleh Batraki, at State House
Entebbe.

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt.
Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, who serves as President of the OACPS
Parliamentary Assembly.

President Museveni welcomed the organisation’s ongoing reforms and
reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to advancing South-South cooperation among developing nations.

He also invited the organisation to consider Uganda as the location of its
future headquarters.

“You can look at Uganda if you want to relocate here. We shall support you.
The shift from Europe is also a good one, so I will support you,” the
President added.

Briefing the President, H.E. Batraki said the OACPS has evolved beyond
its original mandate of coordinating development negotiations between
African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Union.

He explained that in 2019, member states resolved to transform the
organisation into a stronger political and economic alliance focused on
South-South cooperation.

“The Heads of State wanted to create an alliance for South-South
cooperation. The idea is to reinforce our political identity while ensuring our
member states are aligned in addressing emerging global challenges,” he
said.

The Secretary General disclosed that when he assumed office a year ago,
he inherited an institution facing severe financial and operational
challenges.

“I found staff who had gone seven months without salaries. The
organisation had accumulated debts exceeding €12 million and,
remarkably, we had no permanent headquarters,” he said.

To stabilise the organisation, H.E. Batraki embarked on an extensive
diplomatic campaign to rally support from member states.

He credited King Muswati III of Eswatini for helping mobilise African leaders and facilitating an
OACPS summit held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in March this year.

During that summit, member states pledged financial support, including
€4.5 million from Equatorial Guinea, €3 million from Angola and €1.5 million
from Eswatini, alongside additional commitments from Tanzania, China and
Barbados.

H.E. Batraki noted that Uganda was represented at the summit by the then
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo.

Although Uganda did not announce a financial contribution during the
summit, Rt. Hon. Tayebwa said he was confident President Museveni
would back the organisation because of his long-standing support for
South-South cooperation.

“I said to myself that President Museveni has always supported South-
South cooperation, and I believed Uganda would contribute something,” Rt.
Hon. Tayebwa said.

Following the briefing, President Museveni immediately announced
Uganda’s contribution.

A key issue discussed during the meeting was the proposed relocation of
the OACPS headquarters from Brussels to one of its member states.

H.E. Batraki said maintaining the organisation’s headquarters in Belgium no longer reflects its new strategic direction.

“Our Heads of State agreed that we cannot continue spending our
resources in Europe when the organisation belongs to its member states.
They instructed me to identify suitable countries where the headquarters
could be relocated,” he said.

He explained that while the OACPS intends to retain a small liaison office
in Brussels to coordinate relations with the European Union under the
Samoa Agreement, its main headquarters should be based within a
member state.

“We currently have offices in Geneva handling trade issues, Equatorial
Guinea handling triangular negotiations, and we are establishing another
office in Nigeria focusing on diaspora affairs. The headquarters should now
also be located within one of our member states.”
The Secretary General said Uganda is among the countries being
considered.

“We believe Uganda can be one of the countries considered. We wanted to
know whether this would be acceptable to Your Excellency.”
President Museveni welcomed the proposal, assuring him of Uganda's full support.

H.E. Batraki said member states have agreed on three strategic priorities to
shape the organisation’s future.
The first is promoting trade among member states by leveraging their
comparative advantages and encouraging investment and knowledge
exchange.

The second focuses on climate resilience through environmental
protection, sustainable management of oceans and responsible utilisation
of natural resources and minerals.

The third is digital governance, with emphasis on digital sovereignty and
ensuring member states retain ownership and control of their strategic data
and digital infrastructure.

He said the priorities are intended to strengthen cooperation among
developing countries while reducing dependence on external actors.

The Secretary General also outlined several initiatives aimed at expanding
partnerships across the Global South.

These include collaboration with Indonesia to host a Global Business
Forum in 2027 to promote trade, investment and public-private
partnerships, as well as a proposed €5 billion agricultural programme with
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to boost agricultural
technology and food security.

“We hope to conclude the project before the end of this year so that many
of our member states can benefit,” he said.

H.E. Batraki also congratulated Uganda for ratifying the Samoa Agreement,
describing it as a significant step in strengthening cooperation between the
OACPS and the European Union.

“The organisation should continue working with the European Union, but it
should not be viewed as belonging to the European Union. It belongs to its
member states,” he said.

He further commended Rt. Hon. Tayebwa for his leadership of the OACPS
Parliamentary Assembly and expressed confidence that he would continue
mobilising legislators across member states to support the organisation’s
reform agenda.

Speaking during the same meeting, Rt. Hon. Tayebwa revealed that
Uganda is bidding to host the next Joint Parliamentary Assembly, which
brings together legislators from Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and the
European Union.

“We have requested that the next Joint Parliamentary Assembly takes
place in Uganda in October next year. It will be an opportunity for more
than 200 European delegates to come and witness Uganda's
transformation,” Rt. Hon. Tayebwa said.

He also noted that Uganda is seeking diplomatic support for Ambassador
Olara Otunnu's candidature for the position of United Nations Secretary-
General.