Africa-Press – Tanzania. Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni today met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu at State House, Dar es Salaam, in a show of the strong ties and mutual respect between the two neighbouring nations.
“This visit demonstrates how much Uganda values its partnership with our country, built on the foundations of brotherhood, neighbourliness, and mutual respect,” President Suluhu said in a post.
The visit by Museveni to Tanzania, on an invitation, comes just days after Uganda’s general elections.
During the meeting, Suluhu said they discussed progress on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The landmark project is expected to begin operations in July this year.
The 1,443 km pipeline will transport Ugandan crude oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania for export.
It will be the world’s longest heated crude oil pipeline, designed to carry Uganda’s waxy crude at around 50°C, with a capacity of up to 230,000 barrels per day.
The first 296 kilometres of the pipeline are in Uganda, while the remaining 1,147 kilometres are in Tanzania.
The 24-inch insulated pipeline will be buried along its entire length, with the top of the pipe being one metre below the surface.
The shareholders in EACOP are affiliates of the three Upstream joint venture partners-the Uganda National Oil Company, TotalEnergies EP Uganda and CNOOC Uganda- together with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation.
Shareholdings are TotalEnergies 62 per cent, UNOC and TPDC 15 per cent each and CNOOC 8 per cent.
Both presidents highlighted the project as a model of the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
The talks also covered plans to integrate rail networks through the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the construction of pipelines for natural gas and petroleum, promoting the use of Tanzanian ports, as well as regional security and trade facilitation.
President Suluhu emphasised the need to remove non-tariff barriers that hinder trade between the two nations, aiming to boost economic growth and cooperation.
“These discussions reflect our shared commitment to regional development and enhancing the prosperity of our people,” she added.
Museveni said they also addressed trade facilitation, improving access to the ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga, extending railway connectivity, and removing non-tariff barriers.
“On peace and security, we discussed joint efforts for stability in the Great Lakes Region. Africa’s prosperity lies in production, value addition and strategic security,” he said.
The meeting comes amid increasing collaboration between Uganda and Tanzania on strategic infrastructure projects that are expected to strengthen economic integration in East Africa.
The two nations have deep-rooted connections dating back to1960s when both countries gained independence from British colonial rule.
