Integration will transform, make region prosperous

Oct 29, 2013

President Museveni has described the tripartite Infrastructure Integration Projects Summit as a new effort on `how to transform and make our people, our countries and continent prosperous through integrating markets and economies to guarantee the regions sovereignty’.

By Vision Reporter

President Museveni has described the tripartite Infrastructure Integration Projects Summit as a new effort on `how to transform and make our people, our countries and continent prosperous through integrating markets and economies to guarantee the regions sovereignty’.

The President who is in the Rwandan Capital and together withr presidents; Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya; Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan and the host Paul Kagame was addressing the 3rd Infrastructure Projects summit held at the Office of the President in Kigali.

The summit is an initiative bringing together the four countries to fast track regional development through infrastructure development, trade, political and economic integration.

Museveni said through the efforts being made, the region will consolidate markets for its products, develop joint infrastructures, consolidate its security and realize the development of its human resource to achieve transformation and development.

President Paul Kagame said this summit was a follow-up of earlier similar high level meetings in Kampala and Mombasa and said it has made tremendous advances and witnessed the launch of a single customs territory to facilitate trade and eliminate the remaining non-tariff barriers on the northern corridor.

He welcomed Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Silva Kiir who were making their first official visits to Kigali.

Silva Kiir thanked Kenya and Uganda for being real partners; for standing with South Sudan in hard times and for opening their doors to the people of his country even as her northern neighbour, Sudan closed her borders.

He said his country now has an observer status in the East African Community and is looking forward to having full membership.

President Kenyatta said he was happy with the progress so far made since the first Summit in Kampala and assured his counterparts of his commitment to the integration process adding that Kenya will be launching the construction of the standard gauge railway line in Mombasa later this year.

The three countries' Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda signed the Memorandum of Understanding detailing planned joint  integration projects in the region  which include Standard gauge Railway development, Oil pipelines and refinery development, Power generation and Transmission and East African tourism visa and National ID cards as travel documents.

Last June, leaders of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda spearhead different components of joint projects: Uganda committed to lead the railway development and political federation sector; Rwanda on customs, single tourist visa and East African Community e-identity card; and Kenya on the implementation of the oil pipeline and electricity generation.

The follow-up summit held in Mombasa saw the heads of state participate in the commissioning of Berth 19, to increase capacity of the Kenyan port to serve the entire region.

This week's Kigali summit welcomed South Sudan to the initiative, launched the Single Customs Territory and reviewed the progress of infrastructure projects led by each country.

On Tuesday, over 12 Africa Heads of State will attend the Transform Africa Summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

This summit aims at pooling resources and setting a new agenda for Africa to address development challenges through the use and uptake of ICT and related services.

Other African leaders expected to attend the Transform Africa Summit are Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, Presidents Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Macky Sall of Senegal, Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso and host President Paul Kagame.

 

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