Arusha — East African Community (EAC) Partner States leaders are to hold a summit aimed at solving the infrastructure problem in the region.

Poor infrastructure affects effective implementation of the Common Market protocol among other programmes.

EAC has got several initiatives to solve the problem of the transport that is affecting the effective implementation of the Common Market protocol among others in the region.

"That is why the upcoming re-treat of the EAC Heads of State Summit in November 2012 will mainly focus on railway, energy and inland water ways transport in the region," said the EAC secretary general Amb. Richard Sezibera.

He said this during a meeting with the outgoing Uganda's Ambassador to Tanzania Ibrahim Mukiibi held at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

It was during the same meeting that Amb. Sezibera received new envoys accredited to the EAC including Ambassador Edzai Chimonyo from Zimbabwe and Sweden's Lennarth Hjelmaker.

Amb.Sezibera said the EAC development strategy is to develop regional infrastructure to support the integration process.

"We have prioritised improvement of road connectivity and operations across the region, development of an efficient railway system, support the development of safe, secure and efficient air and maritime transport system and improvement of meteorological services," he said.

Ambassador Mukiibi said it is important that partner states invest more funds in infrastructure to maximise the costs of doing business in the region.

"The EAC Partner states should invest more funds in infrastructure development especially in railway and inland water ways in order to minimize the cost of doing business in the region,' he said.

"I am aware investing in building a modern railway is very costly but as a region, if we put our resources together we can do much better than what we are doing now," he noted.

Zimbabwean envoy lauded the progress registered by the Community and called for stronger relationships with the regional bloc. He said Zimbabwe was already enjoying strong relationships with individual EAC Partner States.

Sweden Ambassador also noted the progress in integration process of EAC and re-affirmed his country's continued support to the EAC Project and programs.

"We are very happy today to formalize our relationship with EAC and am looking forward to a strong partnership in the development of the regional bloc", asserted the Swedish Envoy.

Amb. Sezibera told the envoy the process of negotiating for the EAC Monetary Union and implementation of the Common Market protocol were progressing well.