Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu jets in Uganda for a two-day state visit

POLITICS | DIPLOMACY | PRESIDENT SULUHU 

KAMPALA - President Samia Suluhu of the United Republic of Tanzania has this Tuesday jetted into Uganda for a two-day state visit.

Suluhu who arrived at State House Entebbe an hour ago was received by President Yoweri Museveni and other Government ministers.

Before inspecting the guard of honor, Suluhu was accorded a 21 gun salute.

A 21 gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor.

Suluhu arrived at State House Entebbe an hour ago.

Both Presidents are currently holding closed-door meetings.

The Presidents are expected to hold bilateral meetings.

Suluhu is also expected to meet the business and industrialist community in Uganda. 

President Samia Suluhu Hassan will later attend a presentation on the Oil and Gas sector by the Ministry of Energy and also visit several industries. 

Suluhu last visited Uganda in April 2021 where she and her counterpart President Museveni signed the Tripartite Project Agreement on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). 

The duo also launched the $3.55 billion project of the longest electrically heated pipeline in the world. 

The signing of the EACOP deal was expected to be signed in March, a week before John Pombe Magufuli fell ill and died. 

The EACOP is a 1,443km pipeline that will transport crude oil from Hoima in the Albertine region in Uganda to the Indian Ocean Coast in Tanzania. The construction of the pipeline will lead to a substantial rise in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for both countries. 

Both Presidents are currently holding closed-door meetings.

The 3.5 Billion USD investment capital associated with the construction and operation of the Pipeline will be directly injected into the economies of Uganda, and Tanzania increasing their FDI by over 60 % during the construction phase. 

The project will be constructed and operated through a pipeline company with shareholding from the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), the Tanzanian Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), and the two oil companies, TOTALENERGIES and CNOOC. 

Once complete, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline will unlock East Africa’s oil potential by attracting investors and companies to explore the potential in the region. 

The project will also contribute to the enhancement of the central corridor between Uganda and Tanzania through the development of new infrastructure, logistics, technology transfer and the improvement of the livelihoods of East Africans. 

Uganda discovered oil in 2007 but due to tax and other legal disputes, production was delayed.