Uganda is counting on China to provide $10bn to build much of its infrastructure backbone because Beijing offers the cheapest capital, President Yoweri Museveni said.

Mr Museveni said China does not interfere in the African country’s controversy over homosexuality. He said Uganda’s previous intention to issue a debut sovereign bond to finance infrastructure projects was now a “last resort”. The president added that he was not encouraging private investment in big hydropower plants because the electricity produced might be too expensive. “Now the Chinese are coming and they come with a sense of solidarity and they come with big money, not small money, and they also have experience,” Mr Museveni said.

Finance from state agencies such as the Export-Import Bank of China and China Development Bank was preferable to that from the World Bank in at least one respect, he said.