As Africa grapples with rising insecurity, unconstitutional transitions and protracted conflicts, legislative leaders from across the continent are preparing to converge in Uganda for a pivotal summit aimed at advancing peace and security through parliamentary action.

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) will be held from 19 to 20 July 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. The high-level gathering is expected to solidify efforts by parliaments to take a lead role in conflict resolution and security stabilization across Africa.

During a pre-conference diplomatic briefing held on Thursday, 3 July 2025 at the Parliament of Uganda, Geofrey Ekanya, MP for Tororo North County, delivered remarks on behalf of Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, outlining the importance of the upcoming summit.

“This is a crucial opportunity for African legislative leaders to come together and seek solutions to the myriad challenges affecting peace and security on the continent,” said Ekanya.

The summit builds upon recent efforts by the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR), including a fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) involving several Speakers, among them Uganda’s Anita Among and Zambia’s Rt. Hon. Nelly Mutti.

“To further enrich their understanding of the conflict,” Speaker Among said, “the team met H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda, who shared with them the historical perspective of the conflict and possible opportunities to find a lasting solution.”

President Museveni also provided broader insights into the root causes of conflict across Africa and potential paths toward lasting peace.

Findings from the DRC mission were later adopted at the 15th Plenary Assembly of the FP-ICGLR in Angola in April 2025.

“In the final communiqué of this Assembly under Resolution Number 15, it was agreed to request the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures to convene an extraordinary meeting to consider the proposals by FP-ICGLR,” Speaker Among stated.

Uganda was selected as host for this landmark event, and the Government has committed to providing full logistical support, including VIP immigration services, airport transfers, and security for visiting delegations.

“This extraordinary conference provides a unique opportunity for Speakers and Presidents of African legislatures to convene, collaborate, and commit to actionable strategies for fostering peace and security on the continent,” Speaker Among added.

The two-day summit at Speke Resort will focus on key themes, including combating terrorism, electoral violence, organised crime, and unconstitutional changes of government. It will also address legislative oversight, inter-parliamentary cooperation, and the strengthening of parliamentary diplomacy.

“The theme is intended to bring African legislatures at the centre of conflict resolution because of their representative role,” Among emphasized.

Expected outcomes include a continental resolution advocating for ceasefires in war-torn regions, stronger support for regional peace initiatives led by the AU, ECOWAS, EAC, SADC, IGAD, ICGLR, and the Arab Maghreb Union, and the establishment of a permanent African Speakers Centre on Peace and Security, to be hosted in Uganda.

“The centre will serve as a permanent body for coordinating efforts of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures in promoting peace, conflict resolution, and legislative action,” she said.

With the summit now just days away, Uganda’s Parliament and foreign missions are mobilizing to ensure its success, positioning the country—and its legislative institutions—as a key player in shaping Africa’s future peace architecture.

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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ordered an overhaul of Uganda’s citizenship verification system, directing that all future verifications be conducted by local community structures rather than centralized government bureaucrats.

Recalling from the meeting with the Bavandimwe—Ugandans of Banyarwanda descent on June 23 at State House, Entebbe, the President acknowledged that he had underestimated the seriousness of complaints raised by sections of immigrant communities.

“I was beginning to be irritated by claims that, especially our Banyarwanda immigrants, were being mistreated,” Museveni said.

He added, “I thought some people were making false allegations for evil ulterior motives. But after hearing them, I understood where the problem has been.”

Museveni described Uganda’s current citizenship verification process dominated by officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Immigration and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) as inefficient and disconnected from local realities.

“The problem of citizenship is a mass, community issue,” Museveni stated. Noting, “It is best known to and best handled by communities—area by area. Bureaucrats should be guided by community structures like LCs and elders.”

Drawing from personal history, Museveni recalled how immigrant families had long been integrated into Uganda’s social fabric, including some he considered kin. He named individuals like Mzee Yoramu Kabuteembe—whose family came from Rwanda—and Indians like Budala and Haali in Ntungamo as natural Ugandan citizens by every logical standard.

“It cannot be fair that Kabuteembe or Budala should beg Immigration for their right as citizens,” Museveni argued. “They are citizens unless they choose not to be.”

Museveni unveiled a detailed decentralization plan to remove bottlenecks and restore fairness to the system. He directed that all citizenship registration now be conducted at the parish level by Local Verification Committees composed of LCI officials, ISO representatives, and a respected elder. NIRA will continue enrolling applicants and issuing National IDs, but must refer cases in doubt to the local committees.

If either NIRA or the applicant is dissatisfied with a local committee’s decision, the case will be escalated to a District Citizenship Verification Committee chaired by the RDC and including the District Chairperson, area councilor, and DISO. These district committees will serve as final arbiters in cases of dispute.

Applicants whose families were in Uganda before 1962 will not pay any registration fees. However, those who settled after independence will be required to pay for applicable immigration services.

“With this guidance, there is no reason whatsoever why an applicant should not tell the truth,” Museveni warned. “False declaration is an offence under the law.”

The President defended the legal framework that classifies citizenship based on when families settled in the country particularly the year 1926, when Uganda’s colonial borders were finalized.

“Some people want to deny these categories, but that we reject,” he said. “The facts are clear: when did your family come to Uganda? Was it before or after 1926? That’s what matters.”

He also stressed that dual citizenship should remain limited for now to Ugandans who fled abroad during past insecurity and their descendants.

Verification committees will ask applicants to answer 14 core questions related to ancestry, birth, language, marriage, and historical residence in Uganda. These questions aim to filter out fraudulent claims without excluding legitimate citizens.

“The fear of infiltration by non-citizens should not delay giving out IDs, passports or citizenship,” the President said. “Where fraud is discovered, documents can still be cancelled and culprits punished.”

The President’s position marks a philosophical shift in state administration from central technocracy to grassroots accountability.

“The locals are the ones who know who is who,” Museveni said. “I, for instance, can tell you the entire history of three parishes in Ntungamo—who came when, who belongs where.”

He emphasized that bureaucratic arrogance and disconnected processes have caused real harm and disenfranchised legitimate citizens.

While recognizing that many refugees have since returned home, Museveni said Uganda should prepare to integrate those who have stayed—through constitutional and legal amendments. He further hinted at a future where East Africans might enjoy shared regional citizenship under the East African Federation.

“We shall have the citizenship of East Africa,” he concluded. “But until then, we must sort ourselves out with truth, fairness and history as our guide.”

With this landmark directive, President Museveni is not only decentralizing the citizenship process but redefining how Uganda defines belonging—placing trust in communities over bureaucracies, and history over paperwork.

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The Uganda Development Bank [UDB] will host the inaugural Uganda Development Finance Summit 2025, a transformative gathering aimed at redefining Africa’s economic trajectory through an innovative National Development Finance Architecture.

The summit, taking place from September 1–2, 2025 in Kampala, is expected to draw hundreds of high-level stakeholders from across the continent and beyond.

Under the theme “Transforming Africa Through National Development Finance Architecture”, the summit will serve as a powerful platform for dialogue, partnership-building, and strategic action.

It brings together a unique blend of public and private sector leaders—including Heads of State, Ministers of Finance, Central Bank Governors, and CEOs of National and Multilateral Development Banks—to chart a bold new course for sustainable and inclusive growth.

“This summit is not just a conference,” said a UDB official. “It is a catalyst for change—an opportunity for Africa to take ownership of its financial future and build systems that serve its people and potential.”

Sessions will tackle urgent issues such as debt sustainability, domestic resource mobilisation, and the role of National Development Banks [NDBs] in driving transformation.

Participants will learn from the successes of NDBs that are already shaping economic development across Africa, offering replicable models and actionable strategies.

Global Insights for African Contexts

Renowned thought leaders and economists will provide in-depth analyses of Africa’s evolving development landscape, focusing on the continent’s strengths and the shifts needed to unlock progress.

The summit will spotlight investment-ready sectors like agriculture, services, and technology—especially those aligned with Africa’s youthful and digitally-savvy population.

With a curated audience of top-tier decision-makers, the summit offers unmatched networking opportunities to forge impactful collaborations across borders and sectors.

Discussions will also center on creating robust frameworks to future-proof African economies against global disruptions, emphasising innovation and institutional synergy.

The Uganda Development Finance Summit 2025 comes at a crucial time, as the continent seeks scalable, homegrown solutions to long-standing development challenges. By focusing on finance architecture that prioritises resilience, inclusivity, and transformation, Uganda is positioning itself at the heart of Africa’s economic reawakening.

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