East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 3rd March, 2023: The 38th Extra Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (Ex-SCTIFI) dedicated to Industrialization concluded over the weekend in Kilimanjaro, United Republic of Tanzania.
The five-day meeting from 28th March to 1st April, 2023 considered the progress of the reports of the implementation of the directives in the sector, Cotton, Textiles and Apparel (CTA) Strategy; Leather & Leather Products Strategy and Automotive Industry Action Plan.
In addition, the meeting considered EAC Industrialization Policy Implementation Action Plan; the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Fruits and Vegetables Strategy and Action Plan; and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan of Action.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th November, 2021: The East African Community has convened a two-day workshop with the objective of validating a draft study report on investment incentives for antibiotic production in the region.
Speaking during the opening of the meeting, the EAC Director of Productive Sectors, Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana, said that the pharmaceutical sector was one of the priority areas for the EAC according to the EAC Industrialization Policy.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 30th August, 2021: The East African Community (EAC) Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mathuki, is urging EAC Partner States’ governments to invest in industrial parks and infrastructure to improve the competitiveness of the region and increase Intra-EAC trade.
Speaking during the opening session of the East Africa Trade and Industrialization Week (EATIW 2021), held at the Julius Nyerere Convention Centre, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dr. Mathuki urged EAC Partner States’ governments to enhance industrial productivity and strengthen institutional frameworks and policies to accelerate economic growth in the region.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 28th August, 2021: The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Representative to Tanzania, Mauritius and the EAC, Dr. Stephen Bainous Kargbo, on Friday paid a courtesy call on the EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki in Arusha, Tanzania.
Welcoming his guest, the Secretary General noted the import role UNIDO had played over the years in supporting the EAC’s industrialisation efforts.
“UNIDO’s contribution to the industrialization efforts in the region remain unsurpassed,” said Dr. Mathuki.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 1st December, 2019: The 39th Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers has approved the Final Draft Cotton, Textiles and Apparels (CTA) Strategy and its Implementation Roadmap.
The strategy whose vision is to have “An integrated and globally competitive cotton, textiles and apparels industry,” makes a critical analysis of the CTA sector along the following key levels of the value chain: Cotton Seed (Production); Seed Cotton (Ginning); Cotton lint (Spinning); Yarn (Weaving/Knitting/Printing/Dyeing/Finishing), and; Fabrics (Garments/Apparels/Fabrication/Manufacturing) level.
The 39th Council which was chaired by Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and East African Community Affairs, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, was attended by line Ministers from all the EAC Partner States and EAC Executives.
The Council further approved the Final Draft Leather and Leather Products Sector Strategy and its Implementation Roadmap.
The Council which met at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, further directed EAC Partner States to give priority to the implementation of the (CTA) and the Leather Products Sector Strategy.
In an effort to promote the textiles and apparels sector in East Africa, the Ministers directed Partner States to encourage sustainable procurement of all institutional uniforms, beddings, draperies by state institutions from textiles and fabric industries the region.
The Council directed the Sectoral Council on Agriculture and Food Security to develop a strategy to boost the production of cotton in the region.
In their deliberations, the Ministers observed that the seed cotton sector was constrained by low and declining production, low productivity, low quality and fluctuating farm gate prices. Textile mills were further constrained by outdated technology; low spinning capacity, availability of cotton lint, high cost of energy and low skill levels.
The Ministers were informed that inadequate supply of cotton lint forces millers to either buy or hold stock covering a one-year production cycle, or to shut down their production during off-seasons when they lack funds for bulk purchases.
The apparels sector on the other hand suffers mainly from low skills, low local market penetration by local producers and unfavourable trade practices particularly contraband and used clothes.
The EAC Strategy and Implementation Roadmap for Leather, Leather Products and Footwear Sector is a response to directive by the 19th Summit of EAC Heads of State held in 2018 concerning the promotion of the cotton, textile, apparel and leather industries in the region, with a view to making the region more competitive and creating jobs.
The Summit further directed the Council to implement the directive and put in place a mechanism that supports textile and leather manufacturing in EAC.
The strategy whose vision is to have “An integrated and globally competitive leather and leather products industry” makes a critical analysis of the sector along all other levels of leather and leather products value chain.
The Council referred the request for admission to the EAC from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the 21st Summit of the EAC Heads of State for consideration.
The Session had been informed that Chairperson of the Council had written to the EAC Secretariat on the request of the Democratic Republic of Congo to join the Community. The Council noted that Article 3 of the Treaty provides the matters to be taken into account by Partner States in considering the application by a foreign country to become a member of the Community.
On investment promotion within the region, the Council approved the Draft EAC Export Promotion Strategy 2020 – 2025 for implementation.
The EPS 2020-2025 contains the following strategic interventions: Stimulate exports through acquired market intelligence for enterprises and improved visibility on international markets; Improve market access and conditions for EAC Export; Strengthen export competitiveness through interventions like improved access to finance and technology for enterprises, in particular SMEs, and; Strengthen the trade support institutions and partnerships.
The Council was informed that 60 students from five Partner States had been awarded fully paid postgraduate scholarships under KFW scholarship programme tenable at various institutions of higher learning within the EAC from September this year.
The scholarship programme, an initiative of a Tripartite Financing Agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany (KFW), the EAC and Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) for a non-repayable grant of 5 million Euros, was signed in April 2018, with IUCEA being selected as the Project Executing Agency (PEA).
The programme’s objective is to enable poor and disadvantaged but academically gifted students pursue graduate studies in the EAC (so-called Change Agents) to foster regional integration. The scholarship programme supports postgraduate students in Mathematics, Engineering, Informatics, Science, Technology and Business Science programmes.
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For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 768 552087 Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 14th November, 2019: The Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS) Connect Roadshow jointly organized by the East African Community together UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) opened today at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The main objective of the GMIS Connect roadshow themed: Advanced Industrialization in East Africa: Challenges Opportunities for Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is to explore in detail the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the region’s manufacturing, industrialization and investment prospects.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25th October, 2019: The East African Community Secretariat is set to host the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS) Connect Roadshow from 14th -15th November, 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The objective of the GMIS is to explore in detail the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on the region’s manufacturing, industrialization and investment prospects.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 23rd October, 2019: The establishment of fully serviced industrial parks with plug and play facilties to attract investments is one of the proposed actions to gain quick wins in the promotion of the Cotton, Textiles and Apparels (CTA) Manufacturing Industries in East Africa.
The 1st Forum of Owners of Cotton, Textiles and Apparels (CTA) Manufacturing Industries was held in Kigali, Rwanda further proposed Sustainable procurement of all institutional uniforms, beddings, draperies by state institutions from textiles and fabric industries in the region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 09th September, 2019:The Extra Ordinary Sectoral Council meeting on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) is currently underway at the East African Community Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
This meeting which is taking place from Monday, 9th September, 2019 to Friday, 13th September, 2019 comprises three sessions, namely: the Session of Senior Officials which runs up to 11th September, 2019; the Session of the Coordination Committee to be held on Thursday, 12th September, 2019, and; the Ministerial Session which will take place on Friday, 13th September, 2019.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 14th September, 2018:The Extra Ordinary Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment dedicated to Industrialization and Small Medium Enterprises( SCTIFI) concluded at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania at the level of the Permanent /Principal Secretaries.
The extra-ordinary dedicated SCTIFI was convened deliberately to discuss on industrialization matters in the community which has become a major agenda for the EAC Heads of State Summit.
Among the items on the agenda were the consideration of the: EAC Automotive Industry Action Plan and Draft Concept note on the local assembly/ manufacture of affordable vehicles; Establishment of a Regional Automotive Industry Council/Platform of East Africa (AICEA); Concept Note on the manufacture/production of Low Cost Vehicles (Affordable Vehicles) in the Region and Age Limit for imported Used Vehicles.
Speaking at the opening session of the Permanent /Principal Secretaries, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, noted that the dedicated session was important step to the prioritization of industrial development in the Community and a demonstration of regional commitment towards industrialization.
He underscored that the decision to convene a dedicated meeting on industrialization is a landmark achievement and a blessing as it signifies the priority the region is giving to industrialization issues, which have assumed prominence in the integration agenda.
Eng. Mlote disclosed to the meeting that the region is making good progress towards implementing the Summit directives on the Automotive; Cotton, Textiles and Apparels; Leather Sector and Pharmaceutical Sectors. The Community has reached a stage of integration where Industrial development and the promotion of manufacturing have become much more important and necessary than ever added, Deputy Secretary General.
The Deputy Secretary General informed the meeting that ordinarily, it would have been more reasonable to propose for a Separate Sectoral Council to deal specifically with industrialization and SMEs sector, however, mindful of the need for rationalization and resource constraints, we proposed the forgoing as a stop gap alternative, stated Eng. Mlote.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
