Kigali, 3 July 2014
Today President Kagame chaired the 6th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit at the Kigali Serena Hotel, attended by Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan. The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn was represented by the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In his opening remarks, President Kagame said there was no better example of liberation in action than the ambitious targets set by East African nations and the work the countries are doing together.
“We all know what success would mean for the citizens of this region – less bureaucracy, better infrastructure, more trade, and ultimately higher incomes for Eastern African families.We have an opportunity to make regional integration concrete in a way never seen before. We need to add a greater dose of urgency and stamina. Each success along the way will generate new challenges to solve.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta observed that if regional countries continue on the path they are pursuing, there would be no doubt integration would be realized in this lifetime, considering that since the very first meeting more than a year ago, leaders of the region have never failed to meet as agreed every two months.
Ethiopian Minister Foreign Affairs Ghebreyesu who represented the Ethiopian Prime Minister pointed out that the reason results are being realised is because of political will and regional leaders walking the talk.
The Summit is a follow up to meetings in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kigali and Entebbe, which reviewed the progress made on implementation of the directives given during the 5th Northern Corridor Integration Projects, which focused on fast-tracking infrastructure development in the region.
The leaders are expected to also join Rwandan during the celebrations of the 20th National Liberation on 4th July at Amahoro National Stadium.