- About four-fifths of Ugandans support the promotion of trade with other countries (78%) and freedom of cross-border movement for East Africans (79%). o The share of respondents who support free cross-border movement has risen by 10 percentage points since 2015 (69%).
- But about two-thirds (65%) of Ugandans say it is difficult for people in East Africa to cross international borders to work or do business.
- Eight in 10 Ugandans (80%) say they have never heard of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
- Majorities of Ugandans report positive influences on the country by the EAC (64%) and the AU (58%). o However, more than one-fourth express ignorance about the impact the EAC (27%) and the AU (32%) have on their country. o About six in 10 citizens “agree” or “strongly agree” that Uganda’s needs and interests are adequately recognised in the decisions of the EAC (61%) and the AU (58%).
- Citizens perceive significant Chinese influence in Uganda: More than half (57%) say China’s economic activities have “some” or “a lot” of influence on Uganda’s economy, while a similar proportion (56%) see China’s political and economic influence as “somewhat” or “very” positive. o Perceptions are also generally favourable with regard to U.S., Indian, and British influence, but not Russian influence.
Just months after gaining independence in October 1962, Uganda became a founding member of the African Union (AU), then called the Organisation of African Unity. One of the continental body’s major founding objectives was to promote economic cooperation, especially via enhanced transport and communications links (African Union, n.d.; United Nations, 1963). In the years since, the AU has played an increasingly influential role in trying to spur economic growth, development, and trade among member states. Trade has been driven through the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA, 2025), the establishment of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (2022), and extra-continental partnerships forged via the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Uganda is also a member of the East African Community (EAC), a body that came into force in 2000. The EAC, a regional economic bloc consisting of eight states, exists to promote political, economic, and social cooperation among its member, with a vision based on a prosperous, competitive, secure, politically stable and united East Africa. The EAC has notched some notable achievements, including a common external tariff, the EAC-EU Market Access Upgrade Programme, high-level trade missions, harmonised regional customs processes, and resolutions of non-tariff barriers (Media Centre, 2023).
While there has been marked progress in integration among EAC member states, continual conflicts within the region, notably in South Sudan and around the Great Lakes area in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), pose threats to political, social, and economic integration. Uganda’s involvement in the DRC threatens not only its neighbour’s stability but also relations with other countries in the EAC (Usher, 2025; Nantulya, 2025).
Uganda’s long-term commitment to the EAC may be open to question. Although it has signed on to the bloc’s mission and vision, those do not necessarily align with Vision 2040, the country’s long-term development strategy: Regional integration is not considered one of Vision 2040’s key pillars (National Planning Authority, 2010; Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies, 2015).
Uganda’s economy grew at 6.1% in 2024 and is expected to remain at a similar level in 2025. After the many shocks induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, growth has recovered, mainly as a result of expansion in the services sector, increased exports of coffee and gold, and greater investment in the oil industry (World Bank, 2025). But following the World Bank’s lending freeze – a response to an anti-homosexuality law that prescribes the death penalty for some offenders – the government has increased its borrowing from China (Muhumuza, 2023; Voice of America, 2023). Previous Chinese investments include the construction of dams and the expansion of highways and airports.
Some commentators opine that these loans threaten the country’s economy and sovereignty and are apt to produce more benefits for China than for Uganda, while ordinary citizens have expressed concerns about high interest rates (Voice of America, 2023; Kamurungi, 2023). The government has faced calls to exercise caution in its negotiations with Chinese lenders and to increase trade with regional partners to diversify risk (Ainomugisha, 2021; World Bank, 2022).
Recent Afrobarometer survey findings show that large majorities of Ugandans favour promoting trade with other countries and free cross-border movement within East Africa. Most citizens also view the political and economic influence of the EAC and the AU in a positive light.
A majority of respondents say China’s influence on Uganda is positive. Citizens are also more than twice as likely to welcome as to criticise the influence of the United States, India, and the United Kingdom, but few are appreciative of Russian influence.
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