Joint infrastructure for the EAC?

Last Updated 14 years ago by Kenya Engineer

The East African Community is working towards proper cohesiveness among member states with the latest being joint infrastructure projects. Talks are currently underway between the EAC partner states. The projects are geared at effectively utilizing donor funds for sustainable development while increasing access to regional and international markets.

Among the projects to be jointly implemented involve power-interconnection, road and railway. Rwanda is to front Dar es Salaam Isaka-Kigali Railway, Rusumo-Kayonza highway; Dar es Salaam-Mombasa-Eldoret-Kampala-Kigali-Bujumbura oil pipeline and national grid power inter connections.

A meeting of Heads of State is expected sometime in November this year where they will agree on what projects to front. The criteria to be used will ensure that each country comes up with projects shared at least by another member state.

The European Union had earlier raised concerns that financial procedures in some of the recipient countries were not good enough to facilitate proper utilization of aid leading to delays in releasing the money. Harmonized financial procedures and joint regional projects is thus expected to overcome this challenge, by ensuring that all the aid money is released.

Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan are negotiating a joint oil infrastructure plan that would help them coordinate the construction of oil refineries and an oil pipeline. The EAC is also considering joint mineral and mining laws for the region.