France To Improve Victoria Safety

By Josephine MaserukaEast African Community (EAC) Secretary General Amanya Mushega and the French ambassador to Tanzania, Jean-Francois Lionnet, have signed a letter of intent on the Lake Victoria safety and navigation project.The US$550,000 project falls under the partnership for sustainable development of the Lake Victoria basin. It is one of the programmes supported by the French government besides its support to the EAC Secretariat in the field of statistics and customs. France also supports an exchange programme between EAC and West African regional institutions. The function, held in Arusha recently, was witnessed by French envoys to Kenya and Uganda, their respective heads of development and trade commissions and representatives of the French foreign ministry and the private sector.The consultations focused on the recent progress of the regional integration in East Africa at the political, economic and commercial levels.Other issues discussed were the implementation of the EAC development strategy for 2001-2005, the assessment of the on-going bilateral programmes and the exploration of new perspectives for co-operation.Other areas that were discussed for possible cooperation included tourism, water, civil aviation, research in economics and social sciences.Ends