Northern Corridor States Push Regional Projects to Cut Cost of Doing Business

Countries in the Northern Corridor are intensifying efforts to accelerate regional infrastructure projects, aiming to reduce the cost of doing business and enhance the movement of goods and people across Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan. This renewed commitment was solidified during a National Coordinators' Meeting in Kampala.

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The most important thing is to reduce the cost of doing business.

The meeting brought together senior officials to review the progress of key regional projects and tackle obstacles hindering their implementation. Ambassador Richard Kabonero, Uganda's National Coordinator for the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIPs), emphasized that reducing business costs is the primary objective. He noted advancements in crucial areas such as the Standard Gauge Railway, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), electricity transmission, and digital connectivity.

Significant progress has been made in enhancing connectivity. Kabonero highlighted the recent fiber optic cable connection with Rwanda at Mirama Hills. Uganda is also supplying electricity to Rwanda and working with South Sudan to improve road infrastructure, including major projects like the Juba-Nimule and Kampala-Jinja roads, which are vital for deepening economic integration.

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We just connected with the Republic of Rwanda at Mirama Hills for the fibre optic cable.

Despite these advancements, the implementation of some projects has faced delays due to differing national budget cycles and financing mechanisms. Officials are actively addressing these challenges to ensure smoother execution. Dr. Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary in Uganda's Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, pointed to the successful implementation of 14 project clusters, with partner states leading various initiatives.

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We are selling electricity to the Republic of Rwanda. We are improving our connectivity on roads with South Sudan.

A notable achievement is the "One Network Area" initiative, which has standardized communication costs across the four countries, allowing users to incur domestic call rates even when roaming. This has not only reduced communication expenses but also fostered stronger social and economic bonds within the region. Plans for a regional satellite are also underway.

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The challenges have been on real execution, given the different budget cycles and different funding mechanisms. But we are addressing those.