Politics 10 July 2026 Nile Post
Museveni Champions East African Integration, Pledges Shs50 Billion for National Defence College Expansion
President Yoweri Museveni has reiterated his call for enhanced East African integration, emphasizing its importance for regional security and defence capabilities. He also announced a Shs50 billion commitment to expand the National Defence College. Source: https://nilepost.co.ug/news/355383/museveni-pushes-east-african-integration-pledges-shs50-billion-to-expand-national-defence-college
President Yoweri Museveni has intensified his advocacy for deeper integration within the East African Community, asserting that a unified region is crucial for developing robust modern defence capabilities and accelerating socio-economic progress.
Speaking at the graduation of the fourth intake at the National Defence College (NDC) in Buikwe District, Museveni highlighted that regional cooperation would enable East African nations to pool resources for advanced defence systems spanning land, air, sea, and space.
He pointed out that historical colonial borders have left some nations, like landlocked Uganda, without direct sea access, limiting their independent capacity to build certain military assets, such as navies.
“Due to colonial political demarcation, Uganda has no access to the ocean; it is only Kenya and Tanzania. We therefore do not have a navy because we have no sea,” Museveni explained, contrasting this with countries like China that possess advanced naval, air defence, and space capabilities.
The President stressed that collective resource mobilization through integration would empower East African countries to establish these modern defence systems. He linked economic prosperity directly to national security, stating that thriving economies are better positioned to invest in sophisticated defence infrastructure.
In a significant move to bolster Uganda’s defence education, Museveni pledged Shs50 billion towards the expansion of the National Defence College. This funding is earmarked for acquiring additional land and improving facilities to increase the institution’s training capacity.
The 21 graduating officers from the UPDF completed a year-long course focusing on national and regional security, strategic leadership, policy formulation, international relations, and defence resource management.
This expansion is expected to enhance Uganda’s ability to prepare senior military and civilian leaders for critical strategic responsibilities, ensuring the nation and the region are better equipped to face contemporary security challenges.