The four countries comprising the East African Community intend to jointly launch a one area-network to empower them to feel the impact of the jet set world of broadband super highway by the end of this month.
The launch of the one area network will abolish roaming charges among the four countries.
Additionally it will reduce the cost of calls made by residents of Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya by 50%.
The one-network aspiration is one of the decisions taken by regional leaders at the recent Sixth Northern Corridor Integration Projects summit at the Kigali Serena Hotel in the Rwandan capital.
Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr.Tedros Ghebreyesu who attended the meeting also adopted the ministerial report on regional integration.
The Summit is a follow up to meetings in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kigali and Entebbe, which reviewed the progress made on implementation of the directives given during the 5th Northern Corridor Integration Projects, which focused on fast-tracking infrastructure development in the region.
During the discussions President Kirr announced his government’s decision to grant $200,000 for ICT related researches and development.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda urged his regional counterparts to keep focusing on the ambitious targets of regional integration already set by the East African nations.
“We all know what success would mean for the citizens of this region – less bureaucracy, better infrastructure, more trade, and ultimately higher incomes for Eastern African families.
“We have an opportunity to make regional integration concrete in a way never seen before. We need to add a greater dose of urgency and stamina. Each success along the way will generate new challenges to solve.”
The Summit discussed projects championed by each partner state. Foreign Minister Dr. Ghebreyesu shared Ethiopia’s experience in domestic mobilisation of finances through increased domestic saving which, he said, is greatly contributing to infrastructure financing, adding that results were being “realized because of political will and regional leaders walking the talk”.
On the flagship standard gauge railway project connecting Kenya to Uganda and Rwanda of the Northern Corridor, the summit hailed the commencement of the Mombasa -Nairobi sector while urging the commencement of the construction of Malaba-Kisumu and Malaba-Kampala sectors to be launched not later than October 2014.