President Yoweri Museveni has assured of security to all Ugandan business people willing to take on the fertile market in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a video posted on his Twitter handle on Monday morning, President Museveni said there is no insurgence in East Africa that will be left to threaten the lives of local people since all East African countries have agreed to work together and ensure peace and security within the entire region.
“Those of you who have raised questions of insecurity and sustainability of Uganda-DR Congo trade I would like to assure you that the East African community now has a solution to this problem. Working together we have established an East African standby force. This is a major breakthrough for us to act together against the paviors of lawlessness and deal with legitimate issues affecting Eastern Congo,” President Museveni said.
He added that both Uganda and the Congolese governments have opened up safe roads where goods will be transported from Uganda to DR Congo.
“We have also opened some roads inside DRC with cooperation with the Congolese government and they are motorable even before the ones we had agreed with the government of DRC to tarmac. The current motorable security roads are Rwebisengo, Semliki, Mbooga, Chabi-Kikayinama 78km. Businga, Mukakati, Semliki bridge beni joining Kikayinama 72km. The roads that will be tarmacked based on the agreement with the DRC will include; Kasindi-Ben-Butembo highway and Bunagana- Rukyulu-Goma highway.”
“We shall handle all these issues because this is what NRM preaches.”
President Museveni’s assurance of security follows the DRC-Uganda business summit held from 30th May to 3rd June in Kinshasa and 6th to 8th June 2022 in Goma, DRC. And among the key issues that were raised during the summit, insecurity was at the front.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), Stephen Asiimwe who was among the summit organizers, DRC provides the Uganda business community with an opportunity to trade in a market with a population of more than 90 million people. However, the insecurity in the country tends to hinder many Ugandans from participating.
While in the summit, Francis Mwebesa the Minister of Trade also assured Ugandans that Uganda and DRC have been working together to improve trade through several initiatives, including a joint agreement in which Uganda agreed to support the construction of a 223-kilometre road project linking the two countries. The roads, among others, are expected to boost cross-border trade, improve security, and connectivity and deepen integration.
“The DRC is one of Uganda’s biggest trading partners in East Africa, with Uganda exporting mainly cement, palm oil, beer, sugar, iron and steel, rice, iron and steel (scrap), cocoa beans and natural rubber,” he said during the summit.
According to data from PSFU, despite the presence of insecurity in DRC, Uganda’s trade with DRC has been growing over the years, increasing by an average of 10 per cent annually. In 2017, for instance, Uganda exported goods worth $188.98m to DRC while imports from DRC to Uganda stood at $156.5m. However, this has exponentially grown, with Uganda’s exports to DRC increasing to $338.56 Million in 2021.
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