Burundi, Tanzania included in new EAC project

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin during the fourth Northern Corridor Integration Projects summit held at Munyonyo, Uganda.

Regional leaders will soon launch the Central Corridor infrastructural projects to incorporate Tanzania and Burundi, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

The Central and Northern infrastructural corridors will cover all the member states of the East African community with the ultimate objective of minimising delays in the movement of goods and people across the region.

Speaking during the fourth Northern Corridor Infrastructural Summit in Kampala, President Kenyatta stressed the need to fast-track the central infrastructure corridor with the ultimate goal of linking all the EAC member countries.

"A journey of one thousand miles starts with one step. The new central corridor will link waterways and power initiatives in the region,” the President said.

He pointed out that regional leaders are concerned primarily with improving infrastructure in the region and easing the movement of people and goods.

The President said a lot of progress has been made in removal of non-tariff barriers to allow free movement of goods and people in the region since the 1st Tripartite Infrastructural conference last year.

President Kenyatta and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame Wednesday gained entry into Uganda using their identity cards as travel documents, signifying the launch of national identity cards, students’ cards and voters’ cards as travel documents in the three countries.

The President, who is chair of EAC, said through the integration, peace and stability in the region would improve to enable people to prosper through rapid social economic development.

“Am certain that with concerted efforts of all of us, we can transform the region to an economic powerhouse in the continent and the world,” he added.

He said through cooperation, Africans can also chart a new way forward to safeguard sovereignty and integrity of Africans as a people.

Speaking during the occasion, President Kagame encouraged EAC member states to accelerate implementation of various components of the Northern Corridor joint Infrastructural projects spearheaded by their countries.

Under the joint tripartite agreement, Uganda committed to lead the railway development and political federation sector while Rwanda is spearheading customs, single tourist visa and East African Community e-identity card as Kenya leads the implementation of the oil pipeline and electricity generation.

The Rwandan leader said Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda would be having a common pavilion during the international tourism fair slated for Berlin Germany next month.

The host, President Yoweri Museveni urged people in the region to engage in activities that improved the economic wellbeing of the region.

President Museveni said partisan interests that tend to slow down regional integration should be avoided at all costs.

During the summit also attended by representatives from Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan, a special single tourist visa that allows tourists to visit any of the three countries was launched.