Tanzania's President Samia in Uganda to strengthen ties

President Samia Suluhu has arrived in Uganda for a two-day official visit at the invitation of President Museveni. 

"The visit is meant to strengthen relations and socio-economic cooperation," the Tanzania presidency said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Further, the two leaders are set to discuss energy, trade, travel and health cooperation, among others.

This is the third time the Tanzanian leader is visiting Uganda since being sworn in as president in March last year, following the death of her predecessor John Pombe Magufuli.

“President Museveni and President Suluhu will hold a tète a tète to review areas of cooperation for the benefit of the two sisterly countries,” Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

President Suluhu will also address business executives, policy makers, the private sector and other high-level government officials at a Business Dialogue with the view of abolishing tariff and non-tariff barriers that frustrate the flow of business and employment opportunities in the two countries.

The Business Dialogue will, among other things, address job creation, bilateral trade in goods and services, and foreign direct investments and tourism.

According to the statement, the Business Dialogue will also look to strengthen the trade relationship and linkages between Uganda and Tanzania through high-level public-private sector dialogue for economic growth and job creation for the youth, leverage the dialogue to eliminate the tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade that affect job creation for the countries’ youths, and create a business-to-business dialogue and partnerships between Ugandan and Tanzanian businesspeople.

Also on the cards will be talks on business commitments that the two countries have already entered into together, such as fast-tracking the implementation of infrastructural development in the areas of energy, water and road transportation, and the Standard Gauge Railway with the capacity to employ up to 30,000 persons.

The two heads of state will also talk about exploiting the pathogenic economy through the joint establishment of pharmaceutical companies to produce vaccines and veterinary drugs to help communities that keep livestock. This is expected to create at least 3,000 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs in the value chain.  

Other talks will revolve around the construction of the gas pipeline from Tanzania to Uganda.

*Written by Jonathan Kamoga