Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli has disclosed that South Sudan will be admitted as the six member of the EAC during the ongoing 17th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State.
According to president Magufuli, the measure will enable the EAC block to have a market of over 150 million people.
Meanwhile, President Yoweri Museveni, who is in Arusha for the Summit has held a bilateral meeting with his host President John Pombe Magufuli at the Arusha State lodge in Tanzania, with their talks highlighting the construction of an oil pipeline.
The two countries are planning to build an oil pipeline between Tanga and Uganda covering a distance of 1120km and president Magufuli said this is projected to employ 15000 people. He also thanked President Museveni for reciprocating the Tanzanian gesture of having facilitated the liberation of Uganda by supporting the project.
In response President Museveni thanked President Magufuli for his high service delivery to the people of Tanzania and said he was happy to be in Tanzania which he considers as home.
The host President Magufuli congratulated Mr Museveni for winning the just-concluded Presidential elections in Uganda. He also observed that Museveni is among the three Presidents who signed the treaty to revive the East African Community and was pleased to note that Museveni is still in office to enable the continuity of EAC and boost the activities of the community. The other presidents involved with the EAC revival are Arap Moi of Kenya and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania.
The meeting between Museveni and Magufuli was attended by the Tanzania Minister of Foreign Affairs Agustino Mahiga, his Uganda counterpart Uganda Sam Kutesa and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Tanzania, Harrison Mwakembe.
