Why Gen Z Across Africa Is Rising – President Museveni Explains

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 26th June 2025 attributed the growing wave of youth uprisings across Africa to the absence of a deliberate wealth creation strategy and the failure to fully monetize national resources. He called on African nations to embrace Pan-African economic integration as the only sustainable path to stability and shared prosperity. The President made the remarks while delivering a Lecture of Opportunity to 52 senior military officers undergoing the Senior Command and Staff Course Grade Two at the Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka, Jinja City. During the lecture, President Museveni engaged the officers on wide-ranging topics, including youth unrest, patriotism, Pan-Africanism, wealth creation, and sustainable peace all framed within Africa’s socio-economic transformation agenda. The one-year regional course attracted military officers from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, and Malawi. Brig. Michael Kabango, the commandant of the College, was also in attendance. A question from a Kenyan officer particularly drew the President’s attention, as she asked what leaders were failing to understand about Generation Z that is leading to growing uprisings across the continent. In response, President Museveni emphasized the need for African nations to shift from donor-driven policies to homegrown strategies anchored in wealth creation and full participation in the money economy. “Africa’s problem is not a lack of resources, but a failure to conceptualize how to use them effectively,” the President said. He pointed to Uganda’s economic journey as an example, recalling that at independence, only 4% of Ugandans were involved in the money economy. By 2013, that number had grown to 32%, and today stands at 67%. “People were not responding. That was the major problem. Now that more people are joining the money economy, they must do so with calculation (ekibaaro). That’s why we advocate for full monetization of the economy,” President Museveni said. He stressed that wealth creation must begin at the household level, with every family actively engaged in productivity. He also outlined four sectors as key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services (such as tourism and hospitality), and information and communication technology (ICT). The President warned that Africa must stop exporting raw materials if it is to build industrial capacity and create meaningful employment. On economic integration, President Museveni argued that Africa’s fragmented markets limit growth and industrialization. He emphasized that Uganda’s local market is too small to support large-scale production and called for a united East African and Pan-African market. “Gen Z should not be rioting over local grievances , they should be agitating for East African integration,” the President said, linking economic unity to strategic security and long-term prosperity. He concluded by urging African leaders and citizens to focus on transforming subsistence economies into monetized systems rooted in productivity, innovation, and integration. “The path to peace and prosperity is through producing and selling a good or service, that is how we will unlock Africa’s potential, create jobs for our youth, and secure lasting peace,” President Museveni said.