Brussels, 07/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Seeking private-public partnerships to promote access to credit for small agro-food businesses and farms in Uganda and the inauguration of a section of road co-funded by the European Union will be central to the official visit to be made by European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs to Uganda on 8-9 November.
On Tuesday 8 November, the Commission will hold talks with President Yoweri Museveni, Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, Foreign Minister Oryem Okello and Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka. He will take part in a round table on a capital investment fund in agriculture and together with his partners, will sign a declaration of intention for a public-private partnership.
On 9 November, the commissioner will attend the opening of a 99 km stretch of the Masaka-Mbarara Road, which is part of the North regional corridor linking the economies of Eastern Africa and the African Great Lakes region with the Indian Ocean (Kenya-Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo).
Development cooperation between the EU and Uganda, which is a member of the group of ACP states (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) linked to the European Union via the Cotonou agreement, enjoys an envelope of €439 million paid for by the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) for the period 2008-2013. (AN/transl.fl)