Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the management of the Northern Corridor Air Space bloc noting that this arrangement will go a long way in contributing and delivering in the development of infrastructure for transmission, power trade, and reduction in the cost of air travel in the region.
In a communiqué by the heads of State issued shortly after the summit, they appreciated the conclusion of the Power Purchase and Wheeling Agreements and the signed MOU on Management of Northern Corridor Air Space bloc. They also noted the contribution these will deliver in the development of the Infrastructure for Transmission, Power Trade, and reduction in the cost of air travel in the region.
Dr. Stephen Jaburot signed for Uganda while Engineer Micheal Kamau signed for Kenya, Mr. James Musoni for Rwanda and Mr. Kwong Danhter Gatluak for South Sudan.
They also directed the Minister of Infrastructure of Rwanda to convene a meeting of Airline Industry Stakeholders to finalize the negotiations on the 5th Freedom Traffic Rights on the Entebbe-Nairobi-Juba-Nairobi route by 31 December 2014 and address all the outstanding issues to reduce the cost of air travel in the region and report to the next summit. Ethiopia was represented at the Summit by Mr. Habtamu Baye Chekole, Special Envoy to the Ethiopian President, Tanzania by its East African Co-operation Minister, Mr. Samuel Sita while Burundi was represented by Ms. Leontine Nzeyima.
These decisions were reached yesterday in Nairobi at the conclusion of the 8th Northern Corridor Integration Project Summit that took place at Safari Park in Nairobi, Kenya. Present at the Summit was the East African Community Secretary General, Dr. Richard Sezibera.
The Heads of State expressed their solidarity with H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta and the People of Kenya and condemned the heinous acts of brutality and terror committed by the Al Shabaab in Mandera. They further extended warm appreciation to the Government of Kenya for the excellent preparations for the Summit and congratulated the People of Kenya on the occasion of the 51st Independence Anniversary.
Earlier in his opening remarks, President Uhuru Kenyatta called on member countries to be committed and in close collaboration in order to overcome areas of challenges in the implementation of the Projects. He said that if the 4 countries – Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan – continue to be committed, East Africa will be transformed economically to bring prosperity, security and stability to all the people living in the region.
“I thank each and every one of you for the commitment you continue to show and I am certain that if we continue this, we shall have truly started the process of transforming East Africa by making it easy to do business and to bring prosperity, security and stability to all the people of East Africa,” he said.
President Kenyatta stressed the need to focus on resource mobilization in order to implement the established projects like the construction of the Standard gauge railway among others in order to realize the objectives of economic development. He congratulated the Uganda Government for issuing Citizen identity cards to Ugandans which has made many of them to enter into Kenya easily adding that many Kenyans are also entering to Uganda using Kenya Citizen identity cards.
On single customs Territory, the summit noted the gains realized as a result of operationalization of single Customs Territory and on Information Communication and Technology, they reiterated the importance of full and speedy operationalization of one network Area in Uganda. The summit further directed the Ministers to operationalize the one network Area for SMS, Data and Mobile Financial Services.