Oct. 21, 2019 (ENTEBBE, Uganda): The Director of the Economic Cooperation & Regional Integration Division of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Mr. Elsadig Abdalla, this morning opened the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) Meeting to review Draft IRIMP Report in Entebbe with Mr. Wubeshet Demeke Tefera, Advisor to the Minister-Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia, at the high table.
The JSC’s key objective is to guide the development of the IGAD regional infrastructure master plan (IRIMP) that will enhance regional economic integration through trade, free movement of goods and persons and poverty reduction amongst IGAD Member States. IRIMP is covering the regional sub-sectors of transport, ICT, energy and trans-boundary water resources.
The JSC is thus made up of Experts and Officials from member states’ ministries charged with matters pertaining to these four sub-sectors.
Mr. Tefera recalled that the purpose of workshop was a ‘follow-up and build-up of the previous two workshops conducted in July 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya and the other one in December, 2018 in Mombasa, Kenya on the Inception Report and the Broad Sectors Overview and Project Prioritization Criteria Report, respectively’.
He conveyed the high hopes from the line Ministries that ‘the findings and recommendations of the regional master plan study will play a greater role in poverty reduction and foster economic prosperity in the IGAD region’.
‘We shall be reviewing in depth the outputs of our Consultants as they proceed towards finalization of this historic regional study’, Mr Elsadig reminded the participants. He commended the African Development Bank (AfDB) as a ‘partner of choice for the IGAD Region’ and for the African continent.
Mr Elsadig called on the delegates from member states to make the most of the two-day meeting to review the draft master plan and interact freely with the consulting team.
IGAD contracted IPE Global Limited in association with Africon Universal Consulting to undertake this comprehensive study. The output of this regional study is the formulation of an infrastructure strategic framework and development plan up to 2050, and its concomitant financing strategy. This study is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), and is expected to be completed in June 2020.
