President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned that post-independence failures have triggered a modern scramble for Africa by external powers.
The President made the remarks on Thursday at State House Entebbe during a Lecture of Opportunity. He delivered the address to a visiting delegation from the War College of Mali.
The student officer delegation was led by the Commandant of the War College of Mali, Brig. Gen. Moussa Yoro Kanté.
Museveni stated that the continent's future stability depends on creating prosperity, guaranteeing strategic security, and promoting African unity.
"The new scramble for Africa is a reality because of our mistakes," Museveni said. "Once we got our freedom, we did not use it properly to unite ourselves."
President Museveni emphasized that sustainable prosperity cannot be achieved through international aid.
He noted that true wealth is generated by producing goods and services for wider regional markets rather than immediate tribes.
"Pan-Africanism is not just an ideology; it is an economic necessity," Museveni added.
On continental defense, the President noted that modern warfare has evolved to include space capabilities.
He argued that no single African nation has the independent capacity to dominate all security domains alone.
The President welcomed ongoing integration efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to strengthen regional cooperation.
Addressing violent extremism, Museveni noted that defeating insurgencies requires a dual approach.
"The first problem of terrorism is ideological," Museveni said. "The second issue is army building."
The Commander Joint Staff Training and Doctrine, Brig. Gen. Wycliffe Keita, stated that the study tour aims to deepen civil-military relations.
Brig. Gen. Kanté conveyed fraternal greetings from Mali’s President, Gen. Assimi Goïta.
He thanked President Museveni for providing advanced training opportunities to Malian defense officers within Uganda.
The 37-member delegation includes senior defense officials from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Morocco, Senegal, and Togo.