While on a state visit, Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio and Uganda President Museveni Kaguta agreed to do business together.
The resolution came after the two held bilateral talks yesterday 1st July 2019 at State House Entebbe where President Museveni also congratulated Maada for creating peace and stability in Sierra Leone.
In turn Maada thanked President Museveni for sending Doctors to assist Sierra Leone when the Ebola epidemic in the Ebola epidemic hit the West African country between 2014 and 2016.
He said the action had greatly saved Sierra Leone from more deaths. He also commended the President for supporting South Sudan in ensuring some peace and stability.
The two Presidents held a separate press conference where they disclosed their interests in working together and later signed a memorandum of understanding which outlined three major areas of interests for each Country.
The areas of interest included a general cooperation framework agreement; political consultations agreement between the two countries’ initiated by the respective Foreign Affairs ministers Sam Kuteesa and his counterpart, Faridah Nabeera. The waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official or service passports was also signed by the Internal Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo, and Ms Nabeera.
President Museveni said it was essential to link West Africa to East Africa in terms of infrastructural development with a view to boosting the economies of the respective regions through railway linkage and water transport.
The Presidents also agreed to the formation of a Joint Permanent Council to foster talks on trade and economic cooperation. The presidents called on the international community to support the effort of the African Mission in Somalia to help the Somali Government.
In his remarks, the President of Sierra Leone made a call to Ugandan investors to take up opportunities in his country whose economy was ravaged by war in earlier years. He assured any potential investor that the country has since become democratic and peaceful out of resilience making the investing environment friendly.
