Otafiire calls for African unity, economic self-reliance
Otafiire, who represented President Yoweri Museveni at the event, said Africa’s continued economic challenges stem from division and dependence on foreign economies despite the continent’s vast natural resources.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, speaking during the the Pan African Impact Awards and Royal Banquet on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Courtesy photos)
________________
The outgoing Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj. Gen. (rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, has called for greater African unity, industrialisation and economic self-reliance.
Otafiire was speaking during the Pan African Impact Awards and Royal Banquet on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo, Kampala.
Otafiire, who represented President Yoweri Museveni at the event, said Africa’s continued economic challenges stem from division and dependence on foreign economies despite the continent’s vast natural resources.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, holds an award before he handed it over to one of the winners during the Pan African Impact Awards and Royal Banquet on Saturday, May 23, 2026. 
“Why? Because we are divided,” Otafiire said, adding; “We have oil in Libya. We have oil in Angola. We have oil in Uganda. We have oil in the DR Congo and in Gabon. We should be refining our own oil and supplying our own industries.”
The Pan-African Impact Awards and Royal Banquet was part of the 8th African International Dialogue Organisation (AIDO) Pan-African Convention that started on Thursday, May 21, and ended today (Monday, May 25, 2026). The awards honour individuals and organisations contributing to Pan-African development.
The event brought together cultural leaders, diplomats, scholars, and global investors to foster cultural diplomacy, trade, and diaspora engagement.
Otafiire criticised the export of raw materials and the importation of finished products, saying Africa continues to lose value from its own resources.
“You export oil. Then you buy back bitumen, grease, hydrocarbons, fertilisers, and plastics. This is our problem,” he said.
The minister argued that African unity was essential for wealth creation and industrial development.
“The sooner we realise that without African unity, we can only keep on dancing, the better,” he said, adding that; “Pan-Africanism is not about singing. It’s not about being kings. It’s not about being royal. Pan-Africanism is about money. Pan-Africanism is about creating wealth.”
He stressed that a united African market would create enormous economic opportunities for local industries.
“When we unite, we create a market of more than one billion people. If I could manufacture toothpaste and sell a tube of toothpaste to each African at one cent profit, and there are one billion Africans on the continent, how much money would that be?”Otafiire wondered.
He went on; “After 60 years of independence, we have no railway link between Kampala and Pretoria, between Kampala and Khartoum, between Kampala and Lagos, how do we expect to develop when we can’t even communicate?”
Calling on young Africans to embrace the ideals of Pan-Africanism, Otafiire referenced historical figures who championed continental unity.
“That’s why I would like us to walk in the footsteps of Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah, and Muammar Gaddafi; those who advocated for the unity of the continent,” he said.
He concluded by urging leaders to focus on service, discipline and commitment.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, poses for a photo with cultural leaders during the Pan African Impact Awards and Royal Banquet on Saturday, May 23, 2026. 
“Leadership is exemplary, a sacrifice and not regalia,” Otafiire noted, adding; “Leadership is essential. It is discipline, education and commitment.”
About the Convention
The 8th AIDO Pan-African Convention brought together African diaspora leaders, traditional monarchs, government officials, diplomats, investors, and global Pan-African representatives.
The summit, organised by AIDO Network International in collaboration with the Global Pan-African Movement and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, focused on advancing African unity, diaspora partnerships, and reparatory justice.
The convention is intended to deepen continental partnerships, promote economic transformation and celebrate Africa's cultural identity and shared heritage at a time when calls for stronger African cooperation continue to grow.