A High-level Retreat for the EAC Summit of Heads of State on the EAC Common Market Protocol in the offing
…As 32ndMeeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning concludes in Arusha,Tanzania
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 5th November, 2021: The EAC Secretariat is planning to convene a high-level Retreat for the EAC Summit Heads of State on the EAC Common Market Protocol to consider progress and challenges, targeting key priority interventions to achieve full attainment of the EAC Common Market Protocol.
According to the draft concept paper on the proposed High-Level Retreat for the EAC Summit Heads of State presented to the just concluded 32nd Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning (SCMEACP), the Retreat is expected to among others, take stock of the progress of implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol; Adopt strategic measures to unlock the lags and bottlenecks in establishment of the common market; Agree on a Roadmap for the full realization of the Common Market; and Identify key areas where Development Partners can contribute to the attainment of the Common Market.
After deliberating the concept paper, the Sectoral Council adopted the roadmap towards the High-Level Retreat for the EAC Summit of Heads of State on the EAC Common Market Protocol and called upon Partner States to nominate two experts responsible for the implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol to form part of the Regional Steering Committee by 30th November, 2021.
The Sectoral Council that was chaired by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for EAC and Regional Development, Hon Adan Mohamed, further directed the EAC Secretariat to submit a budget proposal to the 41st Ordinary Meeting of the Council for consideration.
The Sectoral Council further considered several reports during the meeting including; Implementation of Previous Decisions of the SCMEACP; Status of Partner States’ contributions to the EAC Budget; Global and Sector-Specific Priority Areas for the Financial Year 2022/23, as well as the Draft EAC Common Market Scorecard 2020.
On Status of Partner States’ contributions, the Sectoral Council considered the status of the Partner States contribution and called upon the Partner States to disburse their arrears and make contribution for the FY’2021/2022 as applicable, in order to facilitate the timely execution of the approved budget in accordance with the EAC Financial Rules and Regulations (2012).
The Council also directed the Secretariat to always provide a status update on disbursements from Development Partners clearly indicating the project title, contractual amount, remittance based on the disbursement schedule and absorption rate or percentage to the with 33rd SCMEACP.
On Global and Sector-specific Priority Areas, the Sectoral Council observed the need to rationalise and re-prioritise Global and Sector-Specific Priority Areas with clear targets that are achievable during the financial year. Furthermore, the Sectoral Council directed the Secretariat to always present rationalized and re-prioritized global and sector specific priorities with clear targets that are achievable during the financial year during the Pre-budget Conference for consideration.
On the Draft EAC Common Market Scorecard 2020, the Sectoral Council directed the EAC Secretariat to develop an Action Plan for implementation of the recommendations contained in the EAC Common Market Scorecard 2020 and report to the 33rd SCMEACP. The Sectoral Council also called upon the Partner States to always ensure that new laws and regulations enacted comply with the provisions of the Common Market Protocol.
The 32ndMeeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning was convened in accordance with the EAC Calendar of Activities for the period July - December, 2021.
The 32nd Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning, Ministerial session, was attended by the respective Ministers from all EAC Partner States, Permanent/Principal/Under Secretaries and Senior Officials.
The EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki, Deputy Secretaries General Eng. Steven Mlote in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, and Christophe Bazivamo, in charge of Productive and Social Sectors were also in attendance.
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.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified