Museveni calls on rich nations to open markets

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday called on the governments of developed nations to open up their markets to goods from developing countries, the independent 'Monitor' newspaper reported. "Teachers of democracy, fair play and creation of a level playing field should not be undemocratic," Museveni was quoted as saying at the opening of the Uganda Manufacturers' Association International Trade Fair in Kampala.

Museveni added that European countries and other developed nations had implemented policies which restricted goods from developing countries from entering their markets. "The developed countries should not put hurdles in the business playing field. This is another way of condemning Africa to endless poverty," he said. Museveni disagreed, however, with some African leaders who have advocated a boycott of a forthcoming World Trade Conference in Doha, Qatar, the 'Monitor' said.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Sunday pointed to a falling rate of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Africa's 34 nations classified as Least Developed Countries as undermining efforts to improve the quality of life of African people. The Tanzanian 'Guardian' newspaper quoted Mkapa as saying that FDI, important for technology transfer and for building domestic capacity for production and economic competition, "continued to bypass sub-Saharan Africa." The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in September said that FDI flows into Tanzania had increased only slightly, from US $183 million in 1999 to US $193 million in 2000. An UNCTAD report showed that FDI inflows to Africa had declined since the mid-1990s from US $10.5 billion to US $9.1 billion this year.