THE Member of Parliament for Bukoba Urban, Mr Wilfred Lwakatare (Chadema) is confident that Bukoba Municipality will soon become a tourist centre in the Great Lakes Region through cultural tourism.
During the conference, the participants exchanged ideas and experiences gained how to make the dream a reality. Cultural tourism is among key areas identified during the conference. According to the MP, several companies were in final stages to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council.
They include Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) which has shown interest to invest in construction of a modern market complex in Bukoba Municipality, Unity Trust of Tanzania (UTT) and Mzinga JKT which will sponsor construction of a modern bus stand. Investors both local and foreign are invited to invest in Kagera region which has abundant untapped tourist attractions.
They include homes of traditional chiefs at Kanyangereko-Maruku, Bweranyange in Kiziba Division, the famous Minziro forest reserve stretching to neighbouring Uganda and the Lake Victoria.
Bukoba Municipality is strategically located in the Great Lakes Region linking Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan.
Arrangements were also being finalised to construct an international airport at Kajunguti, in Misenyi District. For many decades the region has been a major producer of robusta coffee. Coffee production has enabled residents to construct decent houses.
The region has three cooperative unions namely Kagera Cooperative Union (KCU 1990 Ltd), Karagwe District Cooperative Union (KDCU) and Biharamulo Cooperative Union (BCU). Professor Xavel Lwaitama from Josiah Kibira University College (JOKUCO) is a change maker and is keen to transform ideas into reality.
Vocational training should focus changing communities and create more opportunities. Kagera region is rich in natural resources with plenty of livestock. People should exploit by making leather products including shoes and handbags instead of importing them from other countries. More effort should also be made to add value to their crops.
The efforts will bear fruits when people at the grassroots level get electricity at the homes. Minister for Trade and Industries, Mr Charles Mwijage who is also Legislator for Muleba North (CCM) said the multinational Rusumo project, expected to boost power supply to the national grids of Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, will begin this year.
“The Rusumo Falls Hydropower Project is a reality.” Preparations of the project were in the final stages and it was set to begin soon, adding that the Executive Director has already been appointed.
The World Bank and African Development Bank have provided funds for the project, which is expected to begin with construction of a modern hydroelectric power plant that will generate 80 megawatt to be shared equally among the three countries, this year.
The objective of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project is to increase power supply to the national grids of the three countries. Another project, a 2.5 MW Orio power project which constitutes construction of power plants at Biharamulo, Ngara and Mpanda towns will begin once necessary preparations were finalised.
The project, a joint venture between the Netherlands and Tanzanian government on 50-50 basis will begin after the on-going procedures of opening of letter of credit were finalised. Kagera region will get 90bn/- from over 800bn/- approved for the third phase of the rural electrification project implemented by the Rural Energy Agency (REA).
The money will facilitate connection of power to residents who were not connected in the previous two phases. “The government has already approved the funds for the next phase as it looks forward to make sure all the villages are connected. I therefore ask you to get prepared and contribute 35,000/- to be connected,” he said.
He also said plans were underway for all the Islands including Goziba and Bumbile wards in Muleba District to be connected to solar power to speed up economic development for the fishing communities living there.
A total of 34,284 customers in Kagera region have been installed with electricity under Rural Energy Agency (REA) phase one. 18,934 customers were located in Bukoba District, 3,303 in Karagwe, 3,843 in Muleba, 2,413 in Biharamulo, 2,316 in Ngara, 1,882 in Misenyi District while 1,593 others were in Chato District, in Geita region.
22,885 customers were connected with Luku metres while 11,399 others were connected with ordinary metres. He revealed that last year 4,838 customers were installed with electricity while this year the target was to add 8,400 new customers.
Under phase two, a total of 25,562 customers in 364 villages would be installed with electricity at a cost of 58.1bn/-. The project implementation started in February last year was expected to be completed by June, this year, he said
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