LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

promotes intra and interregional trade in the Basin

(Okumu and Nyankori 2010). Most of the traded goods

and services involve agricultural and livestock products,

fish, household goods, wood and timber, textiles and

construction materials. Trade between Kenya, Uganda

and Tanzania has greatly increased since the initiation

of the integration of EAC Partner States.

The processing and packaging of coffee, cotton, rice,

tobacco, sugarcane, dairy milk and oils dominate

Burundi’s industrial activities. The production of

consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, wood, paper

and building materials are also key industrial

activities. About 70 per cent of the produced goods

are transported by the nation’s road network, which

connects to Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

(Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007a).

In Tanzania, industrial activities in the Lake Victoria region

are characterized by small to medium-sized production

units, based primarily on agriculture and fishing.

These include fish processors, fishmeal mills, abattoirs,

vegetable oil mills, animal feed mills, and coffee and tea

processors (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007a).

Uganda has a number of important industries in

various sectors of the economy, including mining and

agriculture (coffee, tea, fish, milk, edible oil and fruits

processing) (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2007a).

Communication

Communication infrastructure within the Basin includes

the road and rail network, air transport, inland water

transport and telecommunications. Some of the

transport routes inter-connect the riparian countries.

While there is a well-developed road network across

the Basin States, most rural roads are in poor condition,

which makes it difficult to travel or transport goods to

more remote parts of the Basin, particularly during the

wet season.

In terms of telecommunications, the Basin is served

with both fixed and mobile communication facilities.

In the last five years, there has been a remarkable

growth in mobile telephone subscription, with a

tendency towards region-wide networks. The fixed

telephone network has, however, lagged behind,

affecting access to the Internet. Each of the riparian

countries has a number of radio and TV stations, and

newspapers.

Transboundary public road transport vehicles include

buses and large trucks that transport goods, including

oil tankers. Cross-border rail transport in the Basin is

being revived with private sector involvement, to link

Rwanda and Burundi. There are a number of small

passenger and goods boats operating on Lake Victoria,

as well as a few large regional cargo transport vessels.

In Tanzania and Uganda, sizeable vessels serve the

islands on the Lake.

International air transport is limited to the main

international airports in Nairobi, Entebbe, Dar-es-

Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Kigali and Bujumbura, with

connections to inland airports within the Basin, such as

Kisumu and Mwanza.

Entebbe International Airport, Uganda