In Friday’s inaugural address Donald Trump became president of the US pledged to put “America first” and to end the “American carnage” of abandoned factories and rampant crime. And Ugandans will be wondering whether there will be changes in the aid the country gets from the US.
According to BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga, the US government provides more than $700m (£570m) in assistance to Uganda every year. The majority of this aid goes to health programmes, particularly free HIV/Aids medication for those who need it. An unspecified amount is also given in military support. No details are given but as Uganda has increased its missions abroad, including to Somalia and the Central African Republic, Washington has been a key financial backer. It also provides training for Ugandan soldiers.
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In a recent letter to the US State Department, Mr Trump’s transition team asked about these activities. The worry in Kampala is that the new administration will stop or reduce this support. On the other hand, some in the opposition have argued that foreign financial backing has given the government an unfair advantage. In the health sector, reduced US support could leave many in the cold.
But President Museveni saying he looks forward to working with him like the case has been with his predecessors.
Our relationship with the United States will continue regardless of which leader or party is leading. I congratulate Mr. Trump once again and look forward to working with him as we have been working with the other leaders before him.”
Inaugural address: Donald J Trump’s full speech-America First
Museveni recently blamed “Western aggression” in the Middle East and North Africa for a global wave of migration and backlash that caused Hillary Clinton to lose the presidential race and Britain to vote to leave the European Union. Taking a page from isolationist campaigns in the US and UK, he called for an African version of America’s Monroe Doctrine, established under president James Monroe in 1823 which opposed European interference in the Americas, to protect African countries from further Western encroachment.
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