Five Ambassadors Support Lake Tanganyika Basin Development Initiatives

Lake Tanganyika basin is a trans-boundary resource which is critical to the economies of the riparian countries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia. With a population over 40 million people, high levels of poverty and vulnerability, persistent conflicts and Lake Tanganyika pollution, there is a compelling need for supporting Lake Tanganyika basin development initiatives.

The Amassadors of the five member States of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia  met recently in Brussels Belgium and agreed to undertake  joint mobilisation of resources of implementing lake Tanganyika basin development programmes.

Lake Tanganyika basin development initiatives aim at achieving the following:

I.              Implementing Lake Tanganyika Water Sanitation and Evironmental management (LTWASAN) project initiated by East African Community (EAC), COMESA, UN-Habitat and the Lake Tanganyika Authority.

II.            Stepping up the exchange of goods and enhance passenger traffic, the following ports are to be expanded and the port facilities in Bujumbura, Kigoma, Kasanga, Mpulungu, Moba and Kalemie, Uvira, Kiliba modernised. The purpose of the port developments is to increase the safety of passengers, facilitate and accelerate shipping traffic, and to link up all the countries and towns on Lake Tanganyika.

III.           Modernizing communications technology in Lake Tanganyika in order to control shipping traffic, prevent accidents and be able to alert rescue services in an emergency.

IV.          As part of the shipping traffic refurbishment and development programme, waste water treatment plants are to be built in the ports and the existing ones brought up to standard.  At the same time, a waste disposal system is to be set up that will help generate energy (energy from waste).

V.           Promoting sustainable eco-tourism. The purpose of this type of tourism is to benefit the local population by conveying the unique attractiveness of nature and landscape in the region and at the same time to ensure that livelihoods and the area itself are safeguarded.

VI.           Development of sustainable tourism, the Lake Tanganyika region is to be connected to the traffic systems in the surrounding countries by extending and modernising the airports in Mbala, Kalemie, Bujumbura, Kigoma, and Kasanga.

VII.         Establishing Lake Tanganyika Development corridor

VIII.       Construction and upgrading new railways lines

IX.          Improving lake Tanganyika access road network

The implementation of Lake Tanganyika basin development programmes will result to improved living conditions, improved regional prosperity and achieve great lakes region peace. This is why the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia are requesting development partners and the European Union to support Lake Tanganyika basin initiatives and grant access to the 11th European Development Fund programme.

Press Release issued by:

Ambassador Dr. Diodorus Buberwa Kamala

Chairman – Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC Group

of Ambassadors based in Belgium – Brussels

15 November, 2013