Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit Kicks Off in Nairobi

President Yoweri Museveni has arrived in Nairobi, Kenya to attend the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) Heads of State Summit which opened on Tuesday morning.

President Museveni who had spent a day in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital left for Nairobi where he will join other Heads of State for the 14th Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) Heads of State Summit.

The conference is being hosted by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Rwanda’s Paul Kagame is also attending the Summit while President Salva Kiir of South Sudan sent a special envoy.

Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi and DR. Congo are attending today’s summit as observers.

During the Summit, the leaders are expected to discuss the progress of mega infrastructure projects designed to benefit the wider Eastern Africa region.

Specifically, the leaders will discuss the progress of implementation of the outcomes of the 13th Summit, which was held in Kampala in April, 2016.

Top on the agenda of the summit is the progress of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, which is being constructed in all the four Northern Corridor countries of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Kenya has already completed phase one of the SGR running between Mombasa and Nairobi while phase two of the SGR between Nairobi and Naivasha is 50 per cent complete.

The other Northern Corridor countries are at different stages to actualize the construction of the SGR.

On its part, Uganda has said that it will sign its final financing agreement for its SGR in September, to pave the way for the construction, which has been delayed for more than two years.

Kenya, which is depending on Kampala to secure joint funding for the Kisumu-Malaba stretch, has already started laying the tracks for the $1.5 billion second phase of the line between Nairobi and Naivasha.

This week, a Chinese delegation led by vice-premier Wang Yang and China Exim Bank chairperson Li Ruogo met with Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Museveni to make an update on the progress of the SGR projects in Kenya, and hold discussions on Uganda’s first phase.

Other issues to be discussed in the Summit include ICT infrastructure development aimed at promoting regional inter-connectivity, Oil Refinery Development following the discoveries of oil in Kenya and Uganda, where the two now join South Sudan as oil producing countries.

Power Generation, transmission and Inter-connectivity in the wider region, Air Space Management, Human Resource Capacity Building and the establishment of a single Customs territory are other key issues expected to feature at the Summit.

The Northern Corridor Integration Projects is a multilateral development initiative established in 2013 to speed up growth in the region through the improvement of infrastructure for ease of movement of people, goods and services.

In total, there are 16 key infrastructure and socio-economic concerns that the NCIP focuses on, with the ultimate goal of improving the infrastructure for business, and ensuring inclusive growth that leaves no one behind.