President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today officially welcomed Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko at State House, Entebbe.
Upon arrival, H.E. Golovchenko, who is in Uganda on official visit at the invitation of his host, held a one-on-one meeting with President Museveni as members of Belarus’ official delegation led by their First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Lukashevich held talks with their Ugandan counterparts led by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja.
Later, the Belarusian head of government, his host President Museveni, and their delegations held joint bilateral talks aimed at further strengthening bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors. They specifically expressed readiness to cooperate in areas like agriculture & agribusiness, investment, trade, education, and defense & security, and in an effort to operationalize their commitment, a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed.
These included the Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations, the Agreement on Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic and Official/Service Passports, and the Memorandum of Understanding on Military Technical Cooperation. Others were MoUs on Cooperation in the Field of Education, Food Security, Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, and an Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
“We talked about agriculture. Belarus is a producer of many things, and working with them we can produce more, such as fertilizers. They have also got very good tractors. There’s a possibility that we can work with them to produce those tractors here,” H.E. Museveni said, adding that their partnership will also enable Uganda to stop importing milk coolers from countries like Denmark as they will be made here.
“Belarus is very advanced in Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). I was telling the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Belarus, that here we have highly educated scientists who can use artificial intelligence and information technology, and I asked him, and he agreed to train our people there. We shall send students—those with degrees in physics and computer science, to go for information technology and artificial intelligence,” the President added.
The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, will lead Uganda’s special committee to fast-track the signed MoUs. Other ministers on the committee nominated by President Museveni include the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth, and the Minister of Trade, Hon. Francis Mwebesa. The National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) will also have representatives to oversee the joint ventures.
On the other hand, President Museveni, who identified himself as an old anti-colonial freedom fighter, recognized the importance of Belarus and Russia in the African freedom struggle that came in 1917.
“How we got our freedom was because of the new resistance movement of our African people and the support of the Soviet Union in 1949,” President Museveni said, mentioning the other factor being the infighting among the imperialists due to their greed to control the world.
“When Germany united in 1871, they came as a new imperialist power and started quarreling with Britain and France about the sharing of the world. The imperialists weakened themselves, and they also took us to fight for them. The first World War was not conclusive, and they went for the second World War. By the end, the imperialists were so weak that they could not colonize us. That’s how countries like India, Indonesia, and China got independence. So I welcome you as a friend of Africa,” he noted.
Both parties expressed a shared optimism regarding the future of their bilateral relationship, which is poised for significant strengthening in the years ahead.
Belarus considers Uganda its promising partner in East Africa, and both governments underscored their conviction that the MoUs concluded during this visit will foster a more resilient and diversified partnership as well as considerable opportunities for cooperation in additional sectors.
“Africa is a continent with much potential. Uganda, inclusive, is an excellent country governed by an excellent leader, and by your wise leadership, Uganda has witnessed socio+economic progress,” H.E Golovchenko said, adding that Belarus will ensure that the signed MoUs are followed up to maturity.
Yesterday, February 20, 2025, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 68 to approve the draft agreement between the governments of Belarus and Uganda to waive visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports and service (official) passports as a basis for negotiations. This means citizens of the two countries who are holders of diplomatic and service passports will no longer be required to obtain visas for entry, exit, and transit if the duration of their continuous stay on the territory of the receiving party does not exceed 30 days from the date of entry and the total duration of stay within a calendar year is 90 days.
H.E Golovchenko, on behalf of his government, once again congratulated H.E. Museveni for assuming the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and expressed his government’s readiness to support Uganda for the remaining two years to deliver on the commitments that were agreed upon by the heads of state and government.
He conveyed appreciation to H.E. President Museveni and the people of Uganda for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
The meeting was also attended by ministers: Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa (Energy & Mineral Development), Hon. Francis Mwebesa (Trade, Industry and Cooperatives), Hon. Frank Tumwebaze (Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries), Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire (Internal Affairs),Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi (ICT and National Guidance), Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth (Defense and Veteran Affairs) and Hon. Muyingo John Chrysestom (Education & Sports).
