Category: PM News

Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has warned candidates affected by the September 24 Supreme Court ruling on provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, to reconsider remaining in the 2027 race.

Sani said such candidates risk wasting their time and resources if the ruling has implications for their nominations.

The former lawmaker made the remarks in a statement posted on his X account.

‘If you are one of those candidates affected by the September Supreme Court ruling, you shouldn’t waste your time and resources,’ he said.

Sani warned that supporters could continue encouraging the affected candidates to remain in the race despite the legal implications surrounding their candidacies.

‘Your supporters will continue to beat the drums for you to stay in the race but you are heading to nowhere,’ he said.

He argued that his position was informed by his experience as an active participant in Nigerian elections rather than as an outside observer.

‘We have the experience of losing and winning elections, not as analysts or commentators but as active, frontline participants so we know both sides very well,’ Sani said.

The Supreme Court ruling has generated concern among political parties and candidates over its implications for compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Geita. After waiting 26 years for compensation over land affected by mining operations, a group of elderly residents in Geita is seeking to become miners themselves.

Members of Kamati ya Vigingi, representing residents of Nyakabale and Nyamalembo, have asked the Government to help them secure a mining licence following the settlement of their long-running compensation dispute with Geita Gold Mining Limited (GGML).

Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde at the weekend directed the Mining Commission to facilitate the request, instructing the group to formally organise itself before suitable mineral ground is identified.

The move follows compensation payments to residents who said they had been unable to fully develop or economically use their land after it was earmarked for mining activities.

Thobias Mabula, leader of Kamati ya Vigingi, told Mr Mavunde that the affected residents had lived on the land for generations but faced restrictions on development while waiting for compensation.

The committee’s name comes from the vigingi-beacons placed in the affected areas to mark land associated with mining operations.

In August 2025, the Ministry of Minerals described the Nyakabale and Nyamalembo dispute as having lasted more than 26 years and announced the start of compensation after GGML agreed to pay affected residents.

By March 2026, GGML had projected compensation payments of about Sh70 billion, subject to completion of valuation, verification and contractual procedures.

Mr Mabula told the minister that the residents had since received their compensation and were now seeking to participate in the mining industry that has shaped their communities for decades.

The elders asked Mr Mavunde to help them secure mineral ground where they could undertake mining collectively. The minister accepted the request and directed the Mining Commission to guide them through group formation and the licensing process.

He said the Commission should consider areas being returned to the Government after licences are cancelled or surrendered by holders who have failed to develop them.

In April, Mr Mavunde ordered the cancellation of 40 prospecting licences covering about 188,163 acres after their holders failed to develop the areas despite being given notices to rectify breaches.

The Ministry said the recovered areas would be returned to the Government for redistribution to small-scale miners, capable investors and targeted groups.

For the elders, the request marks a shift in their relationship with the mining industry. For more than two decades, their involvement centred on restrictions on land use and the struggle for compensation.

Now, they want to participate directly in the economic activity around them.

The elders also presented two cows to President Samia Suluhu Hassan as a gesture of appreciation for the Government’s intervention. Mr Mavunde received the gift on her behalf.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, Toyin Amuzu, has pledged to facilitate projects and initiatives that will directly improve the lives of residents if elected.

Amuzu made the commitment while commissioning another borehole project for public use at Laloko Compound, Igbore, in Abeokuta South, where he reiterated his commitment to providing practical interventions in communities lacking basic amenities.

He said access to potable water remained one of the critical needs that deserved attention at the grassroots, stressing that basic infrastructure could significantly improve the quality of life of residents.

According to him, his interventions before assuming public office were motivated by a genuine desire to serve the people and demonstrate what effective representation should entail.

‘If I can use my personal money to finance projects for the public, then I believe I will do well with government funds. Government funds are meant for the people and my priority will be to ensure that such resources are channelled into projects that will improve their lives,’ he said.

Amuzu said his vision went beyond individual projects, noting that his ultimate goal was to build a federal constituency where residents could point to tangible developments and take pride in their communities.

He maintained that representation should not be limited to political activities and promises during election periods but should translate into meaningful interventions that address the everyday needs of the people.

He added that, if elected, he would facilitate projects capable of creating lasting value across Abeokuta South, while collaborating with relevant government agencies and stakeholders to attract more development to the constituency.

The newly commissioned borehole at Laloko Compound is part of a series of community-focused interventions associated with Amuzu, particularly in the areas of access to water and other basic amenities.

He urged residents to take ownership of the facility, maintain it properly and use it responsibly for the benefit of the entire community.

Amuzu reiterated his aspiration to see Abeokuta South emerge as a federal constituency where government presence would be felt through practical projects, improved infrastructure and initiatives that respond to the real needs of the people.

‘My desire is to see a federal constituency that the people will be proud of,’ he said.

The event was attended by the Ogun State PDP Secretary, Alhaji Semiu Shodipo, community members and other stakeholders, who welcomed the borehole project as an intervention aimed at addressing the need for accessible water in the area.

Dar es Salaam. At first glance, the Vodacom Coastal Classic may appear to be a race about speed, endurance and the battle for the podium.

But as 147 cyclists from Tanzania and other countries rode the 109-kilometre route from Julius Nyerere International Airport to Bagamoyo, the event demonstrated that cycling in Tanzania is becoming more than a sporting contest.

It is increasingly being used as a platform to promote tourism, nurture talent, create economic opportunities for young people and support communities through education, health and environmental initiatives.

That wider role is what gives the Vodacom Coastal Classic and the Nyerere Cycling Tour significance beyond the finish line. The Coastal Classic, held on October 4, 2026, served as a precursor to the Nyerere Cycling Tour, which begins its 1,500-kilometre journey from Dar es Salaam to Butiama on October 5.

Together, the two initiatives provide a model of how sport can be connected to tourism and corporate social responsibility while creating opportunities for athletes and communities.

Cycling as a tourism platform

The route of the Vodacom Coastal Classic was itself part of the attraction. Starting at Julius Nyerere International Airport and ending in Bagamoyo, the 109-kilometre course exposed participants and followers of the race to Tanzania’s coastal landscape and the historical character of Bagamoyo.

For the cyclists, the route was a test of endurance. For Tanzania, it was also an opportunity to showcase its attractions through sport. This is where cycling has an advantage over many traditional sporting events.

A football match takes place in one stadium, but a cycling race moves through towns, villages, roads and landscapes, allowing communities and attractions along the route to become part of the sporting experience.

That makes cycling a potentially powerful tool for sports tourism. The Guest of honour, National Sports Council (NSC) senior sports officer Charles Maguzu commended the organisers and partners for using sport to drive social and economic development while strengthening Tanzania’s position as a sports tourism destination.

A representative of Bagamoyo District Commissioner Ramadhani Rashid Katanga also highlighted the broader importance of the race, saying cycling was helping promote healthy lifestyles, nurture young athletes and showcase Tanzania’s tourism attractions.

‘The Vodacom Coastal Classic is a testament to the growing role of cycling in promoting healthy lifestyles, creating opportunities for young athletes and showcasing Tanzania’s tourism attractions,’ Katanga said.

From competition to opportunity

The strongest immediate benefit of the Coastal Classic for cyclists was the opportunity to turn talent into income. Uganda’s Charles Kagimu won the men’s category, while compatriot Mary Aleper emerged winner of the women’s race. Both took home Sh10 million.

Jordan Schleck finished second in the men’s category, while Tanzania’s Boniface Ngwata claimed third place. In the women’s category, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Siton a Munu finished second, with Kenya’s Mercy Elegay taking third. Second-place finishers received Sh7 million, while third-place winners earned Sh3 million.

Cyclists finishing between fourth and tenth positions in both categories received Sh1 million each.

The prize structure is important because it demonstrates that cycling can provide direct financial rewards for athletes. For young people looking for opportunities through sport, such competitions can offer an incentive to train, compete and develop their talent.

The participation of cyclists from different countries also gives Tanzanian riders the opportunity to compete against athletes from outside the country, providing exposure and experience that can contribute to the growth of the sport.

Taking cycling beyond the race

The bigger ambition, however, is reflected in the Nyerere Cycling Tour. The tour will cover 1,500 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Butiama will end on October 14, taking cyclists through different communities before reaching the home of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere.

The journey is deliberately designed to be about more than cycling. It combines sport with activities focused on education, health and environmental conservation, bringing social programs closer to communities along the route.

This makes the bicycle more than a sporting tool. It becomes a means of connecting people, places and communities.

Nyerere Cycling Tour founder Gabriel Landa says this wider purpose has been part of the initiative from the beginning.

‘From the beginning, the Nyerere Cycling Tour has been about more than cycling. It is about connecting people with communities, celebrating the legacy of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and using the journey to create a positive impact along the way,’ Landa said. His message captures the central idea behind the tour: the journey matters as much as the destination.

CSR that reaches communities

The involvement of corporate partners gives the initiative another important dimension. Vodacom Tanzania is the main partner of the Nyerere Cycling Tour, with Afro Oil, Stanbic Bank Tanzania, DYD, ABC, Coca-Cola and Huawei supporting the wider initiative.

For Vodacom, the partnership goes beyond putting its name behind a sporting event.

Vodacom Business Director Nguvu Kamando said the Coastal Classic and Nyerere Cycling Tour were helping promote domestic tourism, support education initiatives and encourage positive social impact in communities along the route.n’Beyond the competition itself, the Vodacom Coastal Classic and the Nyerere Cycling Tour help promote domestic tourism, support education initiatives and encourage positive social impact in the communities along the route,’ Kamando said.

He also highlighted the role of the initiative in empowering young people, including girls, through sport. That is significant because corporate social responsibility is increasingly expected to demonstrate practical benefits to society rather than simply provide financial support for events.

Through the cycling initiative, investment can be linked to education, health, environmental conservation and youth development.

The education connection

Education is one of the areas where the wider Nyerere Cycling Tour seeks to create a lasting footprint.

The initiative incorporates education activities along the route, meaning communities do not simply watch cyclists pass through before the event moves on.

The broader programme has included support for education through initiatives such as the provision of desks and classroom improvements. This approach gives the tour a longer-term social dimension. A sporting event lasts for a limited period, but a classroom improvement or educational facility can continue benefiting children long after the cyclists have completed their journey. It is therefore an important part of the argument for using sport as a platform for development.

Young people and the future of cycling

Youth empowerment is another central theme. Tanzania has a large population of young people, and sport provides one avenue through which talent, discipline and determination can be transformed into opportunities.

The Coastal Classic gives young cyclists a competitive platform, while the Nyerere Cycling Tour seeks to expose more young Tanzanians to cycling as a sport and potential livelihood.

Landa wants young people to see cycling differently-not simply as an activity but as an opportunity to develop talent, create livelihoods and contribute to their communities. The involvement of women is also important.

Kamando specifically highlighted the role of the initiative in empowering girls, while the Coastal Classic itself demonstrated that women’s cycling can attract international competitors and substantial prize money. Aleper’s victory provides an example of what is possible when women are given competitive platforms.

Building a cycling culture

The challenge now is to sustain the momentum. One successful race cannot by itself transform cycling into a major sport in Tanzania. What it can do is create visibility.

The 147 cyclists who competed in the Coastal Classic, the international participation, the prize money and the journey towards Butiama all contribute to raising the profile of cycling.

The combination of competition and social impact could make the sport more attractive to young people, sponsors and communities.

The key will be ensuring that these events continue to provide opportunities for cyclists while maintaining the connection with tourism and community development.

More than a race

The significance of the Vodacom Coastal Classic is therefore not simply that Kagimu and Aleper won their respective categories, or that Ngwata gave Tanzania a podium finish. Its importance lies in what happened around the competition.

Cyclists travelled through Tanzania’s coastal landscape. Young athletes received an opportunity to compete for meaningful financial rewards. Communities became part of a national sporting journey. Corporate investment was linked to education, health and environmental initiatives.

And now, with the 1,500-kilometre Nyerere Cycling Tour under way, that journey is moving beyond the coast towards Butiama.

The long-term success of the initiative will ultimately be measured not only by the number of cyclists who participate, but by whether cycling attracts more young people, whether tourism opportunities grow around the routes, and whether communities continue to benefit from the social programmes attached to the tour.

Following brewing political infighting between Kano State Deputy Governor, Murtala Sule Garo and the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin, the Kano state Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa, has cautioned party members and loyalists of the two party chieftains against actions capable of sabotaging the interest of the party in the 2027 election.

Garo and Jibrin, who both hail from Kano North Senatorial District, have been locked in serious power play which many believe can affect the fortunes of APC in Kano North Senatorial District in the 2027 elections.

Supporters of the two political heavyweights in the zone have, in recent times, engaged in show of strength, a display that is gradually dwindling the limelight of APC in Kano North Senatorial District.

However, the state Chairman of the ruling party, Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa, has threatened to take disciplinary action against party members and supporters who continue to perpetrate actions capable of undermining the fortunes and interest of the party in Kano North Senatorial District, and across the state ahead the 2027 general elections.

Doguwa advised the warring factions to, immediately, sheathe their swords, resolve their differences, and work together for the victory of APC at all levels in the 2027 election circle.

Doguwa vowed that APC would accomplish the mandate of delivering all her candidates from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and other party flag-bearers in 2027 polls.

The Kano APC Chairman issued the warning during engagement with party leaders in Kano North.

Doguwa, represented by Zonal Chairman, Kano North Senatorial District, Hon. Abdullahi Magaji Lamba Bichi, noted that commitment of the leadership in the zone must remain absolute and unshakeable.

He further stressed that the party would continue to uphold the principles of loyalty and unity among stakeholders, leaders, members and supporters.

According to him, the party expected its members to uphold discipline, unity, loyalty and respect for constituted authority, warning against activities capable of undermining the party’s cohesion, interest, peace and harmony.

Doguwa further warned that individuals found engaging in anti-party activities, factionalism or attempts to undermine the party and its candidates would face disciplinary measures in accordance with the provisions of the APC Constitution.

He said such measures could include suspension or expulsion where warranted.

Bichi further described Senator Barau I. Jibrin, as the leader of the APC in Kano North Senatorial District, stressing that the party remains united under his leadership.

He called on party leaders, stakeholders and members across the Senatorial District to mobilise and vote for Tinubu as President, Governor Abba Yusuf and Senator Jibrin in the 2027 elections.

Arusha. Tanzania has renewed its push for Kiswahili to be recognised as an official working language of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), arguing that language is central to making parliamentary institutions more inclusive and accessible.

The call was made on October 6, 2026, by The Chairperson of the Tanzania IPU Parliamentary Group at the 153rd IPU Assembly, Dr Damas Ndumbaro, during the ongoing assembly in Arusha, which has brought together more than 2,000 delegates from 184 countries.

Tanzania made the call at a time when English and French are the IPU’s official languages, while Arabic and Spanish are also used as working languages at its major meetings.

Dr Ndumbaro said Kiswahili, which he described as the only indigenous African language with international status and spoken by more than 200 million people, deserved greater recognition in international institutions.

‘Inclusivity begins with the language of the people. Tanzania renews its call for Kiswahili to be recognised as an official working language of the IPU,’ he said.

Dr Ndumbaro made the remarks while addressing delegates on governance, inclusion and the role of parliaments in responding to challenges facing citizens.

He said good governance should not be viewed as an abstract principle but measured by whether citizens could access services, participate in decision-making and trust public institutions.

‘Good governance is not just an abstract ideal. It is the daily reality of whether citizens can access services, participate in decisions, and trust the institutions which prevail,’ he said.

He said good governance should be transparent, accountable, inclusive, capable, responsive and effective, with decisions informed by reliable data, research and public consultations.

Dr Ndumbaro cited Tanzania’s ‘Parliament of Proximity’ approach, including Constituent Weeks, Mobile Committees and live Kiswahili broadcasts, as initiatives intended to bring Parliament closer to citizens.

‘These ensure that governance is not distanced but proximate and participatory,’ he said.

He also said women, young people, people with disabilities and marginalised groups should not merely be represented but meaningfully involved in decision-making.

‘Representation matters, but so does the quality of participation,’ he said.

Dr Ndumbaro said technology could widen access to information, improve service delivery and strengthen accountability when used responsibly, but warned that misuse could deepen exclusion, spread misinformation and undermine rights.

He called for parliamentary legislation on digital sovereignty to ensure innovation remained transparent, inclusive, secure and subject to democratic oversight.

The Tanzanian lawmaker also stressed the importance of civic education in preparing young people to participate in democratic processes and resist misinformation and polarisation.

‘Civic education equips young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand democratic institutions, exercise their rights, and resist misinformation and polarisation,’ he said.

On climate change, Dr Ndumbaro called for stronger parliamentary oversight of climate finance, saying commitments made at global climate meetings needed to translate into projects that benefited communities.

‘Climate justice without parliamentary scrutiny is a theatre,’ he said.

He proposed an IPU standing mechanism pairing donor-country parliaments with recipient-country parliaments to jointly oversee climate finance from the initial pledge to the completion of projects.

Dr Ndumbaro urged delegates to remain connected to the challenges facing constituents beyond parliamentary chambers, including access to electricity, clean water and employment.

‘The true test of governance is what delivers to people’s lives,’ he said.

He concluded by stressing the importance of cooperation among parliaments and nations.

‘No parliament prospers alone, no nation thrives in isolation,’ he said.

Police in Yobe State have arrested a nine-year-old boy for allegedly setting his family home ablaze, killing his two stepmothers and two younger brothers.

The incident occurred at Rugan Badali in Karasuwa Local Government Area of the state.

According to the police, the boy allegedly carried out the act after his father beat him for attempting to sell one of the family’s fowls.

Speaking to Channels Television, the minor said he became angry after the beating and decided to set the house on fire in revenge.

‘I carried one of our fowls to sell; the general public, looking at my age, reported me to my father, and I was beaten,’ he said.

‘The following day, I bought ?50 worth of matches at the neighbourhood while my two stepmothers and two younger brothers were asleep; I set our house on fire as revenge for what my father did to me.’

The boy said he later raised an alarm after the fire started but did not initially admit responsibility.

‘Although when the house caught fire, I only shouted for help and people came for the rescue, I did not tell them that I was the one who did it until after three days of prayer; I now confessed and was later arrested by policemen and brought here to Damaturu,’ he said.

The suspect was paraded alongside his father, Abubakar Idi.

Yobe State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yusuf Adamu-Ali, said the boy was a minor but would not simply be allowed to go free.

According to the police spokesman, the case would be handled in a way that could serve as a deterrent to other children involved in unlawful acts.

Adamu-Ali also expressed concern over the incident, particularly as Yobe continues to recover from years of insecurity linked to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Dar es Salaam. Morogoro International School (MIS) hosted the annual Tanzanian International Schools Association (TISA) Swimming Gala over the weekend, bringing together swimmers from schools across Tanzania for two days of competition, sportsmanship and community.

The 2026 gala attracted 14 schools, with École Française finishing at the top of the overall standings, followed by Morogoro International School Piranhas and Aga Khan.

Other participating schools included Dar es Salaam International School (DIS), HOPAC, FK Blue Marlins, Braeburn, St Constantine’s International School, Al Muntazir, Malaika International School, Gate of Gold, Feza, the International School of Tanganyika (IST), Hodari Christian School and Monti International School.

The annual competition has become a highly anticipated event among international schools, providing swimmers with an opportunity to compete against schools from across the country while developing friendships and demonstrating teamwork and sportsmanship.

This year’s event held particular significance for Morogoro International School as it formed part of the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations. To mark the school’s founding in 1976, the gala featured 76 events, creating a direct link between the competition and MIS’s Golden Jubilee year.

A unique feature of the gala is the involvement of MIS’s swimming team, the Piranhas, not only as competitors but also as part of the team helping to organise and run the event.

The students take on a range of responsibilities during the gala, giving them valuable opportunities to develop leadership, communication, teamwork and organisational skills. Their involvement is an important part of the event and demonstrates how sporting events can provide meaningful opportunities for leadership beyond the classroom.

The school expressed its appreciation to all the participating schools, swimmers, coaches, volunteers and supporters who contributed to the success of the weekend.

MIS also thanked the sponsors whose support helped make the event possible: Pepsi, Mosi Mobile, Sweet Treats, EduKwanza, Vellore Institute of Technology, Nature’s Land Tours and Travels, Ziwa Steel, IFL Ltd, Khimiji’s Tailoring and SMJ Farms.

As MIS celebrates five decades of education and community, the TISA Swimming Gala provided a fitting way to mark the milestone, bringing schools together through sport while giving students an opportunity to compete, lead and celebrate their achievements.

The annual gala is expected to return next year, continuing its tradition of bringing together Tanzania’s international school swimming community.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday re-arraigned two men, Ali Bala and Yusuf Anka, before an Ikeja Special Offences Court over alleged £110,000 and N500 million fraud.

The defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, stealing and retention of stolen property.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

EFCC Counsel, Mrs Zainab Buhari, told the court that the defendants allegedly conspired and committed the offences in 2025 in Lagos.

Buhari said the defendants conducted financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activities in an attempt to disguise the source of £110,000 allegedly stolen.

The anti-graft agency further alleged that the defendants were involved in financial transactions involving N500 million, which it said represented proceeds of unlawful activities.

According to the EFCC, the alleged offences contravene Section 7(1)(b)(i) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Justice Abike-Fadipe thereafter ordered the defendants to remain in EFCC custody pending further proceedings.

The court subsequently adjourned the case until Dec. 16 for further proceedings.

In the previous articles, I have argued that East Africa should examine its refineries, ports, pipelines and petrochemical industries as parts of one regional economic system.

But there is a final question: Who has the authority to plan them that way? Economists can identify efficiencies. Engineers can design infrastructure. Investors can calculate returns. But regional planning ultimately requires political will and political authority.

From common services to sovereign states

Regional cooperation long predates the present EAC. Under British colonial administration, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika shared arrangements covering railways, harbours, customs, communications and other services.

There is nothing to romanticise about colonialism; those institutions served colonial objectives. But common planning was administratively easier because ultimate authority lay within one imperial system.

Independence rightly restored sovereignty. It also meant that regional decisions now had to reconcile separate governments, budgets and national interests.

The first post-independence EAC nevertheless maintained substantial common services, but collapsed in 1977. Among the lessons subsequently acknowledged were inadequate political will and disagreement over the distribution of benefits. Those lessons remain relevant.

Regional integration cannot survive without political commitment. Neither can it endure if citizens believe that efficiency simply concentrates industries, jobs and revenues in somebody else’s country.

The stakes are much greater today

The demographic transformation alone illustrates how much has changed.

When the first post-independence EAC was established in 1967, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda together had only about 30 million people. Today the expanded Community comprises eight Partner States-Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania-with a combined population exceeding 340 million. That is more than eleven times the market of the original Community.

By 2050, according to the UN’s medium population projections, these same eight countries could have about 619 million people-nearly twice today’s population and more than twenty times the population of the original Community.

A market of this scale can support refineries, petrochemical industries, transport corridors and other investments that the three relatively small economies of 1967 could scarcely contemplate.

The politics of coordination have become more complicated, but the economic rewards have become correspondingly larger.

This strengthens President Museveni’s long-standing argument for faster integration. In 2004 he warned against Partner States pursuing parallel efforts instead of coordinated ones. Twenty-two years later, the economic imperative is much clearer.

Think of the ports as a regional system

The same logic applies to maritime infrastructure. East Africa’s choices extend far beyond Tanga versus Mombasa. Kenya has Mombasa and Lamu. Tanzania has Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara, with longer-term possibilities including Bagamoyo, Mwambani and Lindi. Zanzibar is developing Mangapwani.

These ports need not all do the same thing. One may specialise in containers, another petroleum and petrochemicals, another LNG, bulk cargo, transshipment or tourism-related activities.

Specialisation is not defeat. It is one of the gains from integration.

This is particularly important because several EAC Partner States are landlocked.

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan depend upon their neighbours for access to the sea. International law recognises the right of landlocked states to access the sea and freedom of transit, subject to arrangements with transit states.

The ports therefore remain sovereign national assets but can simultaneously perform vital regional economic functions.

Museveni made essentially this point years ago when he stressed that the prosperity of landlocked East African countries depends upon efficient railway and harbour services through their coastal neighbours.

The Heads of State must confront the question

Who decides whether proposed refineries are complementary or duplicative? Who decides whether one port should specialise while another expands?

And who assures a Partner State that accepting an investment across the border does not mean surrendering its fair share of the benefits?

Consultants cannot settle such questions. The EAC Heads of State ultimately must. As proposed earlier in this series, they could mandate a regional optimisation study covering refineries, petrochemicals, pipelines and ports to 2050.

First establish what East Africa would build if it were planning as one economic space. Then negotiate how industries, revenues, ownership, employment and other benefits should be fairly shared. That is where economic integration becomes political.

From integration to federation?

President Museveni has long argued that East African integration cannot stop permanently at a Customs Union and Common Market but must eventually confront the question of political federation.

The refinery and port debate helps explain why. As our economies become physically interconnected through pipelines, railways, electricity grids, ports and common industries, decisions taken in one country increasingly affect prosperity in another. Political federation should not be presented as a simple solution.

It requires public consent, trust among Partner States, accountable institutions and agreement on how sovereignty, responsibilities and benefits would be shared.

But deeper economic integration makes the underlying political question increasingly difficult to avoid.

The colonial administrations could plan common services because authority was concentrated in one political system. We neither can nor should reproduce that arrangement.

Our challenge is more demanding: eight sovereign African states must voluntarily create enough common authority to plan effectively those things that are better done together.

The refinery debate leaves us with a much larger question: Can East Africa move from sharing a market to planning an economic future together-and eventually build the political institutions capable of sustaining that shared future?

That may be the deeper meaning of the journey towards 2050: not merely integrating our economies, but deciding how far East Africans are prepared to plan both their economic and political future together.