The East African Community member states should consider the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative projects collectively instead of individually for better results in its regional integration efforts.
That is the view of Ismael Buchanan, dean of the College of Business and Economics, Huye Campus of the University of Rwanda, who said BRI offers the region, which consists of eight countries including Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, an opportunity to construct infrastructure projects that would connect the entire region, consequently increasing trade.
“The EAC member states could for instance consider construction of a railway line running from Kenya’s port city of Mombasa to Rwanda’s capital Kigali, Burundi to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This would be beneficial politically and economically, enhancing people-to-people interaction and country-to-country connectivity,” he said.
Buchanan said such a project would reduce the cost of transportation, reduce border conflicts and enhance regional integration. It would also reduce taxes, make it easy to use a common currency and reduce poverty because job opportunities would be created during construction.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202406/13/WS666a4f97a31082fc043cc405.html