DR Congo Senate President in Uganda for Three-day Visit

The President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Modeste Bahati Lukwebo arrived in Kampala on Sunday for a three-day working visit, December 19-22.

According to the foreign affairs ministry, "the main purpose of this visit is to further bolster the excellent cordial bilateral relations between the Republic of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."

Uganda and the DRC enjoy excellent and cordial bilateral relations, reflecting a history of close political, economic and socio-cultural ties and common mutual interests.

These interests are pursued under the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) which is a framework for bilateral cooperation and was established in 1986.

According to the ministry, Lukwebo will meet President Yoweri Museveni and the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.

He will also visit Nshara Industrial Park where he'll officiate at the opening of the Zhang Beef Factory in Mbarara.

Kampala and Kinshasha are currently working on a mega infrastructure project aimed at increasing the volume of trade between the two countries.

The project includes three roads: Mpondwe/Kasindi – Beni road (80km), Bunagana – Rutshuru – Goma road (89km), and the Beni – Butembo road (54km).

In total, the two governments will construct and upgrade 1,182km of main roads network connecting the two countries.

Kampala and Kinshansha's commitment to this project has been witnessed by four milestones, with the first being the Inter-Governmental Agreement and Project Development Agreement signed on May 27, the second was the groundbreaking ceremony at Kasindi and Mpondwe on June 16, the third one was the ratification of the Inter-Governmental Agreement by the Cabinet on October 25.

And the fourth was the handover of the sites, according to the.

At the end of November, the defense forces of two countries launched a joint operation to flush terrorist groups out of Eastern DRC.