President Museveni yesterday paused his campaign to attend the Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit for Eastern African Heads of State in Kigali, Rwanda.
Prior to the summit, the President opened the new Uganda High Commission building in Kigali which will see government save Shs400 million annually that has previously been spent on rent.
“Mr Museveni said though government has visibly prioritised development programmes on roads, health, education and electricity generation over the years, it will consider investing more in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the next budget,” a statement from State House said.
The summit is an initiative to fast-track regional integration through infrastructure development.
Leaders from Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda met to discuss a single customs territory, one area network, and construction of the Standard Gauge Railway.
The Single Customs Territory has also been credited with shortening the transit time for goods in the region to and from the port of Mombasa.
Currently, goods move from Mombasa to Uganda within three days compared to 23 before the implementation of the single customs territory.
Some of the tangible results already attained are movement in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya using national identity cards, harmonised fees for university education, one-visa regime for tourists, and no-employment permits in Kenya and Rwanda.
Before the heads of state summit, security ministers, heads of institutions and permanent secretaries from the participating countries had been meeting in Kigali for days.
The Monitor
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