diff --git a/meta-ros-common/classes/ros_opt_prefix.bbclass b/meta-ros-common/classes/ros_opt_prefix.bbclass
index 67ce3bb971..9cad864fa2 100644
--- a/meta-ros-common/classes/ros_opt_prefix.bbclass
+++ b/meta-ros-common/classes/ros_opt_prefix.bbclass
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ inherit ${@'python3-dir' if d.getVar('ROS_PYTHON_VERSION') == '3' else 'python-d
 
 PKG_CONFIG_PATH .= ":${PKG_CONFIG_DIR}:${STAGING_DIR_HOST}${ros_libdir}/pkgconfig:${STAGING_DATADIR}/pkgconfig"
 PYTHON_SITEPACKAGES_DIR = "${ros_libdir}/${PYTHON_DIR}/site-packages"
-export PYTHONPATH:prepend = "${STAGING_DIR_NATIVE}${PYTHON_SITEPACKAGES_DIR}:"
+export PYTHONPATH = "${STAGING_DIR_NATIVE}${PYTHON_SITEPACKAGES_DIR}:"
 PYTHONPATH:class-native:prepend = "${PYTHON_SITEPACKAGES_DIR}:"
 
 FILES_SOLIBSDEV += " ${ros_libdir}/lib*${SOLIBSDEV}"