EAC leaders to fast track key projects to accelerate development

East African Community (EAC) leaders on Saturday agreed to speed key projects that will accelerate development.

The leaders at the end of their two-day summit said there is need to accelerate the implementation of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) to further the regional integration agenda.

The Northern Corridor is the transport corridor that links the EAC landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan with the Kenyan seaport of Mombasa.

The corridor also serves northern Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda's Paul Kagame and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta said there is need to implement the projects with a sense of urgency and resolve outstanding issues by the next summit.

The leaders reviewed and endorsed a ministerial report on the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway, mutual defense, peace and security, airspace management, information communications technology, oil refinery development, power generation, transmission and interconnectivity and political federation.

Back in 2013, Museveni, Kagame and Kenyatta held an initial meeting to discuss how to co-operate and speed up development in the region.

Since then, the number of projects and countries interested to join increased.

Each country was given a responsibility in a bid to fast track development.

Uganda coordinates the Standard Gauge Railway, information communication and technology infrastructure, oil refinery development, fast tracking political federation and financing.

Kenya coordinates power generation, transmission and interconnectivity; crude oil pipeline development, refined petroleum products, pipeline development, commodities exchange, human resource capacity building and land.

Rwanda coordinates immigration, tourism, trade, labor and services, single customs territory, defense cooperation, peace and security cooperation and air space management. Endit