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The 7th EAC Summit in Arusha

His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni told the August gathering in Arusha, Tanzania that the destiny of over 90 million people of East Africa supercedes the artificial colonial
boundaries. The people of East Africa are one, with closely intertwined historical, cultural, and linguistic linkages that have lasted for hundreds of years and remain the strongest
foundation for the unity.

The artificial borders have tended to create separation of the people in this region which the current generation should quickly overcome to establish the unity and commonality which they have always shared. His Excellency explained further that as leaders of East Africa, they should ensure that this long cherished unity of the people in the region is brought to fruition into a Political Federation within the shortest time possible.

The full membership of Rwanda and Burundi to the East African Community in the near future will further solidify the unity, expand the market and enhance the EAC Region’s role as a major building bloc for Africa unity and development. He said with the appointment of the Deputy Secretary General for Fast Tracking the Political Federation we must embark on the exercise of national and regional consultations so that we develop a people-centred consensus on
the rebirth of a new East Africa. We should never allow doubting Thomases and detractors, whether local or foreign to deter us from our vision of uniting our people.

The quest for unity and a common approach to problems has been demonstrated by the need to address the
challenges that currently face the region. Over the last year 2005, the region has been afflicted by drought and shortage of food. This is paradoxically happening in a region which is so well endowed with rich soil and water resources that should make us the food basket of Africa.

He stressed that there is absolutely no reason for us to seek food assistance when we can feed ourselves and others if we could strategise the production and marketing of our agricultural products. It is for instance, embarrassing that while within the Nile Valley we have kept cattle for thousands of years, we still import milk products from as far away as New
Zealand and yet in Uganda we pour thousands of litres of milk every day, for lack of market.

His Excellency also observed that the region is also faced with a severe power shortage and yet there is enough potential to produce hydro power as
well as geothermal solar and natural gas for both our use and export within the region.

Another major constraint we must address is the development of our transport infrastructure which inhibits our capacity to move products within the region. It is therefore, important and
urgent that the issue of developing of roads and railway network is taken as a high priority.

The President congratulated the new Secretary General and his Deputies on their appointment to these positions of high responsibility. He however, reminded that that they are assuming
office at the most challenging time of the integration process. They are not expected to do “business as usual” but they must all get onto the train of fasttracking the integration process.

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