POLITICS | MUSEVENI | ALGERIA | VISIT

President Yoweri Museveni is set for a three-day state visit to Algeria at the invitation of his counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. 

During the planned bilateral meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss matters of mutual importance between the two countries and the African continent. The visit offers new cooperative opportunities to reset relations in areas such as education, vocational training, exports, investments, defense and security, and oil and gas. 

According to diplomatic sources, the two countries are expected to sign and renew the joint permanent commission between the two countries. The state visit will take place from March 4–6, 2023.

In 2015, Museveni visited Algeria, and Uganda opened its first-ever mission in the north African country and sought to strengthen relations in education, trade, and oil and gas sector cooperation to boost Uganda’s exports.

After the 2015 meeting, Museveni said he and his host, then-former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, had discussed ways of enhancing trade between the two countries, which he said was the most important factor for the economic prosperity of both countries. He added that they also discussed how to enhance cooperation in the areas of energy, especially in the oil and gas sector, and in human resource development through the exchange of scholarships and training programs.

Impediments to trade

Currently, trade between Uganda and Algeria is minimal, and this can be attributed to the limited infrastructure connectivity between the two countries.

Uganda’s exports to Algeria are low, with the major products being cocoa, coffee, and tea. Uganda’s imports from Algeria are also low, estimated at less than $1m (sh3.6b) per annum. 

The major industries of Algeria are agriculture, cement, clothing, fertilizers, food processing, iron and steel, mining, machinery, oil, and natural gas production and refining, petrochemicals, textiles, transport equipment, and wine production. Main exports are crude oil, dates, fruit and vegetables, natural gas, petroleum products, and wine.

Algeria is one of the largest crude oil producers in Africa and one of the largest global producers of natural gas.

Uganda is one of the biggest beneficiaries of education scholarships from Algeria.

Ugandan students are currently undertaking various undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities around Algeria. 

The fields of study include dental medicine, pharmacy, mathematics and computer science, science and technology, nature and life sciences, the science of matter, economic sciences and commercial management, French literature, English literature, and Italian literature. Algeria has also extended training opportunities to the Uganda Police Force.