REGIONAL LEADERS TO DISCUSS INFRASTRUCTURE

From left to right, Presidents Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya). File photo.

President Jakaya Kikwete and other five heads of state are meeting in Dar es Salaam today in a historic event to discuss, among other things, how to fast-track implementation of the Central Corridor Projects and enhancement of investment in the sector.

The leaders were expected in on Tuesday and early Wednesday before proceeding to the Dar es Salaam’s largest conference centre, Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) where the meeting will be held.

Other leaders are Mr Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Joseph Kabila (Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC), Mr Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Mr Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Mr Pierre Nkurunzinza (Burundi).

The two-day summit is also expected to attract about 350 business people from these six countries. The Central Corridor is a multimodal trade and transport passageway which covers Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

It has a combination of railway and road networks that link the port of Dar es Salaam to landlocked countries of Burundi, Uganda and eastern DRC. Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Saidi Meck Sadiki, told a news conference on Monday that the delegation would also have an opportunity to visit the Dar es Salaam Port and Central Railway line. 

The meeting comes nearly two weeks after Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan met in Kigali to discuss how to fast-track implementation of Northern Corridor Integration Projects. Tanzania and Burundi attended the summit as observers. 

In January, last year, development of the Central Corridor Acceleration Process was launched during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The project is promoted by the landlocked nations in partnership with the WEF. After the launch of the project, implementation took off under the supervision of the government of Tanzania. The initiatives that have been given priority include construction of a railway that links Dar es Salaam to Isaka, Keza, Kigali, Gitega and Musongati in Rwanda. Available information shows that the railway spans 1,682 kms. The scheme also includes a railway that will link Uvinza to Musongati, Mpanda and Karema. 

The initiative will also see the upgrading to standard gauge of the Isaka to Mwanza railway line (250 kms) and the portions that connect Tabora to Kigoma and Kaliua to Mpanda (411 and 212 kms respectively). There will also be port improvement at Kigoma and Bujumbura on Lake Tanganyika. In Burundi, the effort will give a facelift to the road that links Ruhwa to Bujumbura, Rumonge and Mugina towns. The scheme is also detailed to improve port infrastructure in Dar es Salaam mainly taking in Berth 13 and 14. Road construction will take in the expressway that links Dar es Salaam to Chalinze (100 kms) and the supporting route of Mlandizi- Bagamoyo (37 kms). In Uganda, the initiative will jack up the outlook of the roads that link Masaka to Kyotera and Mtukula to Kyotera. The port facilities at Jinja will also be refurbished. In Rwanda the project will repair the highway to Bugesera Airport. Other improvements in Rwanda will see rehabilitation of Ngoma- Busegera- Nyanza Road. The roads connect Rwanda to the Central Corridor through Rusumo. In the DRC there will be repairs on the road that links Bukavu to Kisangani (648 kms).

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