By Chris Muhizi for MCN.
The World Bank had halted any further funding for projects in Uganda due to alleged human rights abuses resulting from the recently passed anti-homosexuality law.
Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, said on Wednesday that his country could live without loans from the World Bank, which had suspended funding in response to Kampala’s anti-homosexuality law.
Instead, Museveni said that the Bank was using its project funds to persuade African nations into eliminating their cultural traditions, something he insisted he would not do.
He wrote in an X post, “I want to inform everyone, starting with Ugandans, that Uganda will develop with or without loans.
“It is regrettable that the World Bank and other players dare to attempt to use financial pressure to compel us to renounce our faith, culture, ideals, and sovereignty. They seriously undervalue all Africans.
According to a statement from the Bank, more funds would be delayed until Ugandan authorities develop suitable policies to safeguard minorities, including lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and other groups referred to as LGBTQ+.
“The World Bank Group’s values are fundamentally at odds with Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act. We think that in order for us to achieve our goal of ending poverty on a livable planet, everyone must be included, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, the Bank stated on Tuesday.