Ugandan President H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni traveled to the central town of Oyo-Ollombo, in the Cuvette Region of the Republic of the Congo last week, on a working visit at the invitation of his counterpart, H.E. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, to boost regional cooperation and discuss the evolution of the political situation in Central and Western Africa.
The working visit, which was held on 12 February, facilitated a bilateral platform through which the Presidents could discuss trade opportunities and foster ties between the two countries. Uganda and the Republic of the Congo have recently worked towards concluding agreements in trade, agriculture, agri-business energy, and mineral development, as well as the development of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the countries’ Chambers of Commerce and their respective Bureaus of Standard, in order to improve the quality of trade products and services.
While Uganda Airlines currently flies to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) capital city of Kinshasa, approximately 20km from Brazzaville, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo have also sought to improve connectivity and allow the free flow of commerce between the two countries by working on arrangements on bilateral air services.
During the latter part of his visit, H.E. President Museveni was joined by his fellow Central African Heads of State, H.E. President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the DRC and H.E. President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe of the Republic of Togo, who reiterated their unmitigated support towards the Economic Community of West Africa and focused on the evolution of the political and security situation in the region.
As the third largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, with an output of approximately 360,000 barrels of oil and 240 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, and with reserve estimates of around 1.6 billion barrels and 111 billion cubic feet of natural gas, the Republic of the Congo is endowed with vast resources, with bilateral trade agreements holding the potential to drive economic growth in the region while improving electrification and alleviating energy poverty in West Africa.
