Uganda, Rwanda Sign Oil Deal 

Uganda and Rwanda have signed an agreement in Kampala to build a cross border oil pipeline connecting their capitals. 

Ugandan Energy Minister Daudi Migereko and the Rwandan Minister of state for energy, Albert Butare, signed for their countries. 

According to a statement, Presidents Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame of Rwanda witnessed the ceremony at a Kampala Hotel. Also present were Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi and Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia. 

Positive Development 

Museveni thanked Kagame for agreeing to work with Uganda in the pipeline project, which, he said, would save roads from destruction by heavy petrol trucks and make petroleum products cheaper. 

He said after the pipeline project, Uganda's economy now needed a railway network to the sea. He said this would be worked on jointly with Kenya and Tanzania. 

The Rwandan President expressed hopes that the oil pipeline would be extended to Bujumbura, describing it as an important milestone towards the region's economic integration and development. 

The pipeline had originally been planned to carry oil from Eldoret in Kenya to Kampala but will now extend to Kigali. 

Tamoil East Africa, a Libyan state-owned company, is a partner in the public-private partnership venture which has dragged on for years. 

The Libyan Tie 

In a related development, the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni has commended the bilateral cooperation between his country and Libya. 

Museveni made the commendation at the inauguration of a National Mosque, built by the Libyan President in Kampala, Uganda. 

He said his relationship with Gadaffi started right from the revolutionary struggles when he first went to Libya in 1981. 

Gadaffi in his comment said Africa was moving towards economic development. He said with strong and revolutionary leaders, the continent would overcome economic stagnation.

 

Allafrica/AOA/Qasim