Regional leaders sign MOU on Air space bloc
L-R: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta pose for agroup photo after the opening of the Northern corridor integration project at Safari Hotel Nairobi on December 11, 2014
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Earlier in his opening remarks, President Kenyatta called for close collaboration and commitment by member countries in overcoming areas of challenge in the implementation of such projects
Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the management of the Northern Corridor Air Space bloc which will help in the development of infrastructure for transmission, power trade, and reduced cost of air travel in the region.
In a joint communiqué by the heads of State issued on Thursday shortly after the 8th Northern Corridor Integration Project Summit at Safari Park in Nairobi, Kenya, they appreciated the conclusion of the Power Purchase and Wheeling Agreements and the signed MOU on Management of Northern Corridor Air Space bloc.
Dr Stephen Jaburot signed for Uganda, Engineer Micheal Kamau signed for Kenya, Mr. James Musoni for Rwanda while Mr Kwong Danhter Gatluak for South Sudan.
They also directed Rwanda’s minister of Infrastructure 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 December 31, 2014 and address all the outstanding issues to reduce the cost of air travel in the region.
Ethiopia was represented at the Summit by Mr Habtamu Baye Chekole, Special Envoy to the Ethiopian President, and Tanzania by its East African Co-operation Minister, Mr Samuel Sita while Burundi was represented by Ms Leontine Nzeyima.
Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the recent heinous acts of brutality and terror committed by the Al Shabaab in Mandera ahead of Kenya’s 51st Independence Anniversary scheduled for today.
Earlier in his opening remarks, President Kenyatta called for close collaboration and commitment by member countries in overcoming areas of challenge in the implementation of such projects.
“I thank each and every one of you for the commitment you continue to show and I am certain that if we continue like 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.
