Roundup: Belt and Road Initiative to fast track Uganda's development

KAMPALA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's envoy to Uganda says China will align the Belt and Road Initiative to the East African country's development plan to pull millions of people out of poverty.

Chinese ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang argued that the initiative would help transform the country from a farming to modern and prosperous one.

"I know what Uganda needs most. Uganda needs good infrastructure, modern commercial agriculture, quality investment, market access, foreign tourists and skills and training," said Zheng.

"China will support Uganda's efforts in infrastructure and human resources development, which are two major bottleneck constraining Uganda's development," Zheng said during a foreign relations round table discussion on Thursday.

The Chinese diplomat said that Uganda has already had a foundation to kick start this development.

He said the country enjoys four strategic advantages to further deepening its cooperation with China, including stable political environment, rich natural and human resources, comparatively favorable geographic location and fraternal relations between China and Uganda.

Zheng said that the Chinese-proposed initiative, comprising the overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

"The Belt and Road Initiative will open up wider opportunities for win-win cooperation between China and Africa and brings the Eurasia continent into closer cooperation with Africa for common development," said Zheng.

This initiative will further deepen the existing ties between Uganda and China.

According to the Uganda Investment Authority, China is one of Uganda's top sources of foreign direct investment. The Asian country is heavily investing in the country's transport and energy infrastructure. It has also financed the construction of hydro power dams to boost the country's power production, a key ingredient in fast tracking development.

Uganda and China are also in talks for the latter to finance the construction of a Standard Gauge Railway that will link Uganda to the railway in neighboring Kenya. This will link Uganda to the Kenyan seaport of Mombasa. Uganda currently relies on a century old railway system to transport goods to Mombasa.

Experts have argued that once this railway is constructed, it will open up the East African hinterland to further development. Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda will be linked to Mombasa by rail.

Fredrick Gume, Uganda's minister of state for cooperatives told Xinhua in a recent interview that China needs to help Africa set up industries.

He said what Africa now needs is to add value to its products. This can be achieved by building factories on the continent.

"We want investors to come here and add value to what is produced," the minister said noting that Africa should not continue exporting raw materials.

He said setting up factories in Africa means more jobs created and foreign exchange earned from exports of finished products. Enditem