[PHOTOS]: Northern Corridor meet urges new impetus in projects execution

Heads of State meeting at the 12th Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) have tasked their aides to be meeting every month to speed up implementation of NCIP projects. At the summit, which concluded in Kigali yesterday, President Paul Kagame was joined by President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, and Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, presidential advisor on economic affairs for the Republic of South Sudan – who represented President Salva Kiir. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his delegation at the Heads of State Summit in Kigali yesterday. “The Heads of State reiterated their determination to continue fast-tracking the implementation of the key projects that facilitate regional integration. The Heads of State agreed and emphasised the need for regular monthly meetings at Ministerial level as well as for the National Coordinators to work more closely together to coordinate institutions in their respective countries and speed up implementation of NCIP projects,” a joint statement issued at the closure of the meeting said. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his delegation at the summit yesterday. The Northern Corridor Integration initiative, which brings together Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan, has identified 14 projects which will be implemented to fast-track regional integration, including in areas of transport, energy, ICT, immigration , peace and security, land and airspace management, and human resource capacity building. A number of projects in the initiative such as single Customs Territory, One Area Network, and construction of the standard gauge railway are already underway. Participants at the 12th NCIP summit in Kigali yesterday. The operation of the One Area Network has been credited with the significant increase in the number of calls and attendant revenue within the region. The One Area Network is comprised of four countries; Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan who agreed to eliminate additional taxes and levies on international calls, text and data within the region. Several regional countries were represented at the summit while Ethiopia formally announced it had joined the initiative. The Single Customs Territory has also been credited with shortening the transit time for goods in the region to and from the port of Mombasa. Members of the Rwandan private sector follow proceedings during the summmit yesterday. (T. Kisambira) Yesterday’s Heads of State Summit was also attended in the capacity of observers by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia’s foreign affairs minister; Justin Kamwanya–Kalemuna, the national coordinator of NCIP for DR Congo, Amb. Alexis Ntukamazina, the Burundian envoy to Rwanda, and Amb. Ali Idi Siwa, high commissioner of Tanzania to Rwanda. DR Congo was also represented at the twelfth Northern Corridor Integration Projects summit. Ethiopia joins NCIP The summit was also attended by representatives of important regional and continental organisations. The private sector representatives from the partner states and the East African Business Council were also in attendance. The broader EAC bloc was represented by its secretary-general Dr Richard Sezibera. “The summit welcomed the growing collaboration between governments and the private sector for the successful implementation of NCIP, noting that the collaboration will go a long way in attracting financing and enhancing capacity in the sectors earmarked for fast-tracking,” the statement added. The regional initiative is spearheading a total of 14 projects. They encouraged key players in the private sector to form joint ventures and consortia necessary to enhance their abilities and expertise to support implementation of the integration projects. Rwanda Foreign affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo speaks at the summit yesterday. Meanwhile, Ethiopia announced its decision to join NCIP initiative as a partner state and was welcomed by the Heads of State. Ministers and other officials from partner states committed to fast tracking Northern Corridor Integration projects. (All photos by Village Urugwiro) “Integration of our region will help integrate and unite our continent,” Ethiopia’s foreign minister Ghebreyesus said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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[PHOTOS]: Northern Corridor meet urges new impetus in projects execution