President Yoweri Museveni described the Integration Projects Summit as a new effort on how to transform and make our people, countries and continent prosperous through integrating our markets and economies. He said the efforts will also guarantee our sovereignity.
The President was yesterday addressing the Integration Projects Summit hosted by President Paul Kagame at the Office of the President at Urugwiro village, Kigali.
The Summit was attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Salva Kir Mayardit of South Sudan.
Through the efforts being made, the region will consolidate markets for our products, develop joint infrastructure, consolidate our security and realize the development of our human resource to achieve transformation and development, said the President.
President Paul Kagame said this summit was a follow-up of earlier similar high level meetings in Kampala and Mombasa and has reviewed progress so far made. He 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. He welcomed President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Salva Kir of South Sudan who were making their first official visits to Kigali.
President Salva Kir thanked Kenya and Uganda for being real partners and for standing with South Sudan in hard times and for opening their doors to the people of his country even as her northern neighbour, the 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 soon.
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, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda signed a Memorandum of Understanding detailing planned joint integration projects in the region which include Standard Gauge Railway development, Oil pipeline and refinery development, Power generation and Transmission, East African Single Tourist visa, and National ID, Voters' cards and student IDs as travel documents.
The President will today attend the Transform Africa Summit also hosted by President Kagame in Kigali.
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