Deepening China-Uganda ties boosts Uganda's economy

Uganda's Vice President Edward Ssekandi on Friday said the deepening relation with China is helping unlock Uganda's economic potential.
Ssekandi told Xinhua in an interview that the relation has grown into physical bilateral efforts and increased trade between the two countries and also the people-to-people relation.
China has been a friend of Uganda in all spheres and supported a lot of Uganda's international efforts and interests at different fora, he said at his office.
"The intention is to push our relations further to see Ugandans also exporting to China local products including our agricultural products where Ugandans will also get resources to improve production at home," he added.
Ssekandi said China is currently working with the Ugandan government to develop critical areas like the transport and energy infrastructure.
China has pumped huge sums of money in Uganda's infrastructure development. Using a 350-million-dollar loan from China's Export and Import Bank, Uganda is building a four carriage expressway linking the capital Kampala to Entebbe International Airport, the country's main gateway to the rest of the world.
China is also slated to re-construct Uganda's dilapidated railway network that will link Uganda to South Sudan, Rwanda, and Kenya. Kenya with funding also from China is upgrading its railway network that will link Uganda to its Mombasa seaport. It is anticipated that the opening up of the railway network will boost regional trade.
Ssekandi said apart from the transport infrastructure, China is also helping develop the energy infrastructure. Chinese companies are helping construct Karuma Hydro Power Dam expected to generate 600 MW of electricity and Isimba power station expected to generate 183 MW.
He said Uganda through the ministry of local government developed a working paper that will guide the operations of member countries to the Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation.
Ssekandi said he expects this deepening relation between China and Uganda to benefit the peoples of the two countries.