President Samia expected in Uganda for signing of oil deal

Tanzania's president Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected in Uganda for talks that should culminate into the signing of the deals on Sunday 11, a top official from Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed.

"The Tanzanian president will be on her journey in a few hours for talks, which will climax with the signing ceremony on Sunday,” the official said.

This will be President Samia’s first state visit since she replaced the late John Pombe Magufuli who died on March 17.

"Something major is expected to happen this weekend, regarding Uganda's oil," confirmed Herbert Ssempogo, Senior Corporate Affairs Officer at the Uganda National Oil Company, without giving details.

The late Magufuli was due in Kampala on March 22 for the three-way signing of the crude oil export pipeline deal between the governments of Uganda and Tanzania and the French oil giant Total, the lead investor.

However, he died before the due date, Kampala then announced that the deal would be signed the early half of April, to pave the way for the construction of the 1440km export pipeline from Western Uganda to the Tanzanian Indian Ocean Port of Tanga.