Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has concluded an extensive assessment on the integration of cold storage chains along Lake Victoria.
LVBC Executive Secretary (ES) Dr. Masinde Bwire said the findings of the study, conducted between January 20 and 25, 2025 would pave the way for the establishment of cold chain storage infrastructure across Lake Victoria to promote regional trade.
He said the initiative targets to leverage on Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) systems to transport perishable goods among them fish, agricultural products, dairy products and pharmaceuticals.
Speaking during the 11th Joint Regional Policy Steering Committee (RPSC) Meeting for the Lake Victoria Basin Commission’s projects and programmes held in Kisumu on Wednesday, Dr. Bwire said the final report for the assessment would guide the agency whose mandate is to coordinate sustainable development and management of Lake Victoria basin to mobilize funds from the eight East Africa Community (EAC) nations and development partners to establish the cold storage facilities.
Dr. Bwire said the region is endowed with water bodies among them lakes and rivers calling for the development of a robust inland waterways transport system to boost regional and intra-Africa trade.
Lake Victoria transport system, he said, was well positioned to drive regional trade adding that the cold-chain integration was set to significantly cut travel time and enhance the overall efficiency of goods movement within the East African region.
“This development is poised to transform regional trade, offering a more sustainable and reliable means of transporting perishable commodities while unlocking economic opportunities for communities within the basin,” he said.
The initiative would also reduce pollution associated with road transportation besides saving East African stated billions of shillings spent on maintenance of roads, he added.
He said fuel transportation via Lake Victoria has already demonstrated remarkable success where two fuel tankers, MV Kabaka Mutebi II and MT Elgon, have revolutionized logistics, transporting over 9,000 tonnes of fuel the equivalent of more than 300 fuel trucks between Kisumu Port and Uganda in a single trip.
To enhance safety in Lake Victoria, LVBC through the Multinational Lake Victoria Maritime Communication and Transport (MLVMCT) project was constructing a modern maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Ilemela in Mwanza region of Tanzania.
The facility, which is 70% complete, will feature a modern control and call centre for receiving emergency calls on the 110 code, a first aid clinic, speed boats, ambulance boats among and among other facilities to carry out rescue operations within the lake, he said.
A similar facility was being constructed in Kisumu while a Maritime Survival Training Institute was also under construction at Entebbe in Uganda all geared towards ensuring safety of lake transport to promote regional trade, he added.
The meeting was attended by senior ministry officials from Kenya, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On Friday, Permanent Secretaries from relevant Ministries and state departments from the seven countries are expected to review the previous Joint RPSC meeting held from January 30 to February 3, 2023, and assess the progress of projects implementation.
By Chris Mahandara