East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th October, 2019: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, received credentials from Mr. Muhammed Abdiker, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa.
The delegation from the IOM regional officer comprised Mr. Abdiker, Dr. Sufi Qasim, Director IOM, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania office, and Mr Nelson Goncalves, the Senior IBM Training Specialist at the African Capacity Building Center (ACBC) on migration management.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 25th June, 2019: The Kingdom of Norway has today accredited its Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Republic of Tanzania, Ms Elisabeth Jacobsen, to also serve as Ambassador to the East African Community.
H.E. Jacobsen, who was accredited at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, said that there was a growing interest and knowledge about the EAC, which she noted was setting the stage for closer cooperation. She said that Norway views the Community as an important partner especially in efforts aimed at ensuring peace and security in the region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 25th April, 2019: Her Excellency Ms. Pamela O’Donnell, the High Commissioner of the Canadian High Commission in the United Republic of Tanzania, today paid a courtesy call on the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Secretary General briefed the Canadian Envoy on the latest milestones recorded in all the four regional integration pillars and the two officials later discussed a wide range of issues geared towards deepening cooperation between Canada and the East African Community.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 12th March, 2019: The Republic of Ireland has hailed the commitment of the six East African Community (EAC) Partner States to the EAC integration process.
Ireland’s Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, H.E. Paul Sherlock, further disclosed that his country would continue to promote trade and development cooperation between his country and the EAC.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 21st February, 2019: The Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the United Republic of Tanzania HE. Antonio A.M. Cesar today presented accreditation letter to the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko to also serve as Ambassador to the East African Community.
Amb. Cesar informed the Secretary General that his government attaches great importance to regional economic groupings such as the EAC and congratulated the EAC Secretary General for the wonderful regional initiatives.
“Count on Brazil support because the goals of the Community are excellent for the prosperity of the people in the region”, asserted the Brazilian Envoy, adding that “regional integration initiatives take time but you need to continue so as to build a strong and powerful bloc”.
He hailed the EAC as one of the fastest growing RECs in the world and said Brazil and the Southern American Common Market (MERCOSUR) of which Brazil is a member had a lot to learn from the EAC.
While receiving the Brazilian Ambassador, the EAC Secretary General hailed the existing cordial relations between the EAC and Brazil. He welcomed the support from the Brazil Government geared towards enabling the Community to achieve its ambitious agenda.
The Secretary General briefed him on the progress being registered by the Community so far that include implementation of Protocols on the Customs Union, Common Market, East African Monetary Union and Political Federation.
Amb. Mfumukeko further disclosed that the EAC Partner States had started drafting Constitution for EAC Confederation which is the model for a Political Federation that had been adopted by the Heads of State Summit.
He informed the Brazilian Ambassador that the EAC has close working relationships with other RECs in Africa which are all geared towards promoting the African Union's vision of an African Economic Community.
Present at the accreditation occasion were the EAC Deputies Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote and Hon. Christophe Bazivamo of the Productive and Social Sector.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25th January, 2019: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, received credential from the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United Republic of Tanzania H.E Mohamed Gaber Abulwafa, who is also assigned as the Permanent representative of Egypt to East African Community.
Welcoming the Egyptian Ambassador, the Secretary General briefed him on the current achievements in the pillars of the regional integration and development process. He described Egypt as an important trading partner for the EAC and praised its outstanding role in promoting negotiations for the Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) between the EAC, COMESA and SADC.
Amb. Mfumukeko and the Egypt envoy discussed several issues including the status of the EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and also explored areas of collaboration in trade and investment.
On his part, H.E Abulwafa said his country was eager to boost trade and technical cooperation with the EAC Partner States. He informed the Secretary General that Egypt has committed to improve areas of cooperation with the East African Community.
The EAC Secretary General also received the credentials from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H E Mousa Farhang who also serve as representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the East African Community.
The Iranian envoy expressed delight at the accreditation commenting that Iran has very good relations with the EAC member states.
“In spite of the good relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the EAC Partner States, I believe a lot of the potential has not yet explored noting that untapped opportunities abound in trade and investment’’, remarked H .E Farhang
Amb Mfumukeko on his part, informed the Iranian Envoy that EAC is open to investment in areas of infrastructure, especially in roads, railways, ports and energy as well as technical and financial support from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Also present at the accreditation ceremonies was EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr. Charles Njoroge and officials at the EAC Secretariat.
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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.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th December,2018: The Kingdom of Belgium has appointed, Ambassador Peter Van Acker to United Republic of Tanzania, to also serve as Belgium’s Permanent Representative to the East African Community as an observer.
Amb Van Acker presented his letter of credence to EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko, during a brief ceremony held at the EAC headquarters in Arusha.
Amb. Van Acker said that his appointment was out of his government’s commitment to deepen its cooperation with the EAC, noting that the significance of regional integration is not only for East Africans, but also an important source of growth for the continent as well.
The Belgium envoy expressed delight at the accreditation commenting that Belgium has very good relations with the EAC member states.
In his remarks, the EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko warmly welcomed the Belgium Envoy to the EAC and briefed him on the current achievements in the pillars of the regional integration and development process.
He noted that Belgium has an intimate knowledge of the region and added that the EAC is looking forward to scaling up cooperation with the country.
Meanwhile, the EAC Secretary-General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko received the Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mr. Mark Meassick who paid a courtesy visit to him at the EAC Headquarters.
The Kenya and East Africa USAID Director was accompanied by Program Advisor ,Regional Intergovernmental Organization, Miss Mimi Steward.
In receiving the Mission Director, Amb Mfumukeko thanked USAID for its continued support and strong partnership. Reiterating on the importance of regional integration as a means to access regional markets and gain competition advantages in efficiency and productivity outputs.
“These elements can only be realised by having no restrictions on the movement of goods, services, labour and capital within the East Africa“noted Amb. Mfumukeko
Speaking during the discussion Director Meassick acknowledged the efforts that the Community has made to access trade, adding that “this has not only promoted prosperity in those regions, but has also delivered better livelihoods to their communities, thus putting EAC in the forefront as a model for Integration“.
The United States of America through USAID has been a key Development Partner of the EAC integration process to different Project and Programmes including; Assistance Agreement for Comprehensive Regional Development (AA-CRD) to the tune of $23,230,800 from Octo. 2011 to Sept. 2019 and Regional Development Objectives Grant Agreement (RDOAG) to the tune of $30,000,000 from Sept. 2016 to Sept. 2021.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 22th November, 2018: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, received credentials from the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E Ambassador Shinichi Goto, who has also been accredited to the EAC.
In the Ambassador’s accreditation letter dated 10th October, 2018, and addressed to the Secretary General, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tano Kono, appoints Amb. Shinichi Goto as the Japanese representative to the EAC.
During their discussion, the Secretary General briefed Amb. Goto on the current achievements on the pillars of the regional integration and development process. He said the Community had expanded tremendously within a short spell of time,a development which has necessitated the Community to review its institutional set-up.
Amb. Mfumukeko further informed the Japanese envoy on the status of the Tripartite agreement between EAC, COMESA and SADC. They also discussed potential areas for collaboration between Japan and the EAC on trade and investment.
In his remarks, Amb. Goto hailed the Secretary General for the good work in deepening the regional integration agenda. He said achieving the Customs Union, Common Market and a Monetary Union within such a short time for the Community was commendable.
Also present at the accreditation ceremony were the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
In order to support promotion of the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi sector of the regional economy, the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Partner States and Confederation of Informal Sector Organization East Africa (CISO-EA) has organized the annual exhibition since 1999. The exhibitions have proved to be strategic avenues for promoting the Small and Micro Enterprises sector’s products, transfer of technologies, and promotion of the regional integration process.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th November, 2018:The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Mohamed H. Abdi today paid a courtesy call on Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, the Secretary General of the East African Community to follow up on the Somalia's application to join the EAC bloc.
Speaking during the discussion, the EAC Secretary General thanked the Federal Republic of Somalia for their interest in joining the East African Community. He assured Amb. Mohamed that the process is on course and the Secretariat will be sending a preliminary team to Somalia later this month to assess the level of readiness of Somalia as the preparation for the verification exercise team which will be constituted by the EAC Council of Ministers.
Article 3 (3) of the EAC Treaty sets out conditions for membership; including adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice.
Others are contribution towards the strengthening of integration within the East African region; geographical proximity to and inter -dependence between it and the Partner States; establishment and maintenance of a market driven economy.
On his part, H.E Abdi noted that long term development of each EAC economy was influenced by the success of the regional integration efforts and that individual EAC economies are too small to compete effectively in international markets.
Present at the meeting were the EAC Deputy Secretaries General in charge Planning and Infrastructure as well as Finance and Administration , Engineer Steven Mlote, and that of Productive and Social Sector, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, Counsel to the Community, Dr Anthony L. Kafumbe and other officials from the EAC Secretariat.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th November, 2018: The Swedish Ambassador to Tanzania, H.E. Anders Sjöberg, today presented his credentials to the East African Community Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Welcoming the Swedish Ambassador, Amb. Mfumukeko said that the EAC was working on Trade and Investment Portals that would enable investors to access information on investment opportunities and projects online.
Amb. Mfumukeko said that the European Union was the Number One trading partner for the EAC, and urged Sweden to support capacity building for the private sector and to link business people in Sweden and the EAC.
Amb. Mfumukeko said the EAC was also working on the development of the financial sector and integration of capital markets in the region.
The Secretary General informed the Swedish Ambassador that work on the Constitution of the proposed East African Political Confederation had started with EAC Partner States nominating constitutional experts to the EAC Secretariat.
He said that the EAC integration process was a progressive idea which was gradually trickling down to the populace as they begin to reap the benefits.
In his remarks, Amb. Sjöberg said that Sweden was directly supporting sexual reproductive health programmes in the EAC through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) while there was indirect support for the region’s financial markets and customs sector through a World Customs Organization project.
Amb. Sjöberg said Sweden was a keen support of free trade and export promotions worldwide since 50 per cent of the country’s GDP comes froms exports.
“70 per cent of our exports are to the European Union and 30 per cent to the rest of the world,” said Amb. Sjöberg, adding that increasing trade with neighbouring countries, eliminating Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and increasing the threshold for exports will be beneficial for all countries.
The envoy said his country’s current focus was on trade facilitation, reducing NTBs and e-commerce. Amb. Sjöberg noted that e-commerce had the potential to revolutionize trade in Africa as had been the case in Europe, North America and China.
He urged the EAC to create a conducive investment climate in the region in order to attract more investors.
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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.
