Sunday 14 December 2014

Kagame in Nairobi to attend 8th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit

President Kagame today arrived in Kenya’s capital Nairobi for a two-day visit during which he will attend the 8th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit and Jamhuri Day celebrations. The bi-monthly meeting was hosted by President Kenyatta and brought together President Kagame, President Museveni and Vice President James Wani Igga of South Sudan for a discussion on the progress of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects. This month's meeting follows the October summit held in Kampala, which saw the launch of the Uganda portion of the standard gauge railway that will connect Malaba to Kampala.

The summit reviewed progress in implementation of ongoing integration projects, focusing on transport, ICT, commodities exchange energy, immigration, trade as well as defence, peace and security cooperation.
Today’s meeting saw the Heads of State sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the management of the Northern Corridor Air Space bloc in a move that would contribute to the development of infrastructure for transmission, power trade, and reduction in the cost of air travel in the region.
The Presidents directed Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure to convene Airline Industry stakeholders and finalise negotiations on the 5th Freedom Traffic Rights on Entebbe-Nairobi-Juba-Nairobi. The meeting is set to take place before the end of this year and will address all outstanding issues to reduce the cost of air travel in the region and report to the next Summit that will be held in Kigali.
In attendance, as observers, were; Leontine Nzeyima, Burundi’s Minister for East African Affairs; Habtamu Baye Chekole, Special Envoy of the President of Ethiopia; and Samuel Sita, Tanzania’s Minister for East African Community affairs.

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