As Uganda prepares for an election where President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his 40-year rule, the nation with one of the world's youngest populations is banking on oil reserves to combat poverty.

• Uganda has a history of regional military involvement, notably providing the largest contingent of African soldiers fighting Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia since 2007.
• The country implemented one of the world's most severe anti-homosexuality laws in May 2023, leading to the World Bank temporarily suspending new loans.
• Despite sustained economic growth exceeding six percent in 2024–2025, approximately 60 percent of Ugandans live on $3 or less daily, amid corruption concerns.
• Uganda aims to export its first oil in June via a $10 billion pipeline project with TotalEnergies and CNOOC from the Lake Albert region.
• With 51.4 million people in 2025, half under 18, Uganda hosts over two million refugees, the most in Africa, primarily from Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.