Uganda, Tanzania Hold Talks on Energy, Oil, Railway Line
January 17, 2022
Amb. Naimi Aziz, Director Africa- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania speaking at JPC meeting in Kampala on Monday morning
Officials from Uganda and Tanzania are holding talks in Kampala to streamline the implementation of key infrastructure projects, Chimp Corps report.
Speaking to reporters at the opening of the 4th session of JPC at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala on Monday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, John Mulimba said the meeting would focus on trade, justice, oil and gas, transport and immigration.
On matters of oil and gas, Mulimba said the level of Uganda’s preparedness is “very high.”
Both Uganda and Tanzania have passed the relevant laws required to pave the way for oil production including the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (ECOP) which will transport Uganda’s oil from Hoima District to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
Investments in Uganda’s oil and gas sector were US$ 230 million in 2019, US$ 180 million in 2020 then increased to about US$ 500 million in 2021.
Officials say these investments are expected to increase to about US $ 3 billion in 2022.
Coordination
“During the recent visit to Tanzania, President Museveni and his counterpart, Hassan Suluhu held a joint business forum under which a number of issues relating to business between the two sister countries, in energy, oil and gas and other economic areas were discussed,” said Mulimba.
“Some of those are the issues we are going to be following up and seeing how we can unlock the hiccups that will come along the way,” Mulimba said.
Some of the hiccups, he said, arise as a result of poor coordination between Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in following up bilateral decisions.
Hon. John Mulimba, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in-charge of Regional Cooperation delivering his key note address at the Senior officials Meeting of the 4th Session of the Joint Permanent Commission between the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania
“We have agreed as Ministers within the region to put up a framework which is both formal and informal to follow up on issues as they emerge without waiting for Joint Permanent Commissions. We want to put an open door policy so that we keep engaging as sister countries,” he said.
In Tanzania, Museveni and Suluhu agreed on various key strategic projects that will deepen cooperation in trade and development, notable among which is the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project that will not only see oil flow downstream from the Albertine region and in future from Kadam in Karamoja, DR.Congo and South Sudan but will also see gas flow from the coastal region in Tanzania upstream, to the continent’s inlands.
Suluhu said she was willing to partner with Uganda to exploit the Pathogenic economy through joint establishment of pharmaceutical companies to produce vaccines and veterinary drugs to help the communities of Byaramuro, Bukoba etc who keep livestock and would boost milk production.
The two leaders also agreed to jointly address the issues of viruses and production of reagents to use for the vaccines.
Museveni and Suluhu also reaffirmed their commitment to fast-track the implementation of energy and road transportation networks, specifically, the ongoing construction of the Omugakorongo – Kigarama – Murongo (km 111)/Kikagati – Mbarara – Kampala (km 392) and Masaka – Mutukula (km 89.5)/Mutukula –Kyaka and Bugene – Kasulo – Kumunazi (km 157.6).
Ambassador Naimi Aziz, the Director for Africa in the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said issues of energy and transport especially the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) will be on the agenda.
Hon. John MULIMBA Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in-charge of Regional Cooperation (2ndLeft) Amb. Naimi Aziz, Director Africa- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania (3rd right), H.E. Dr. Aziz Ponary MLIMA, the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Uganda, (L) Gen. Apollo Kasiita-Gowa Director Citizenship & Immigration Control – Uganda (R)
“As you are aware, Tanzania is implementing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). It is a very strategic project for our country, and for the region, and we hope it will eventually connect the whole of East Africa,” she said.
“We are going to discuss where we are at that (SGR), the energy projects that are on the table, we are also going to discuss new areas of cooperation,” she added.
“The people of our two countries depend on us, and we are here also to oversee the directives of our Presidents (Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda).”
Ambassador Aziz said there was “a possibility of signing some agreements between the two sides, and we will be telling you specifically what has been signed for every sector.”
Officials from Uganda and Tanzania are holding talks in Kampala to streamline the implementation of key infrastructure projects, Chimp Corps report. Speaking to reporters at the opening of the 4th session of JPC at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala on Monday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs...
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MY TAKE
By the time Kenya is through with election in August 2022 things wll be so much advanced! Uganda will be in Tanzania's bag!
