16th EAC Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition ongoing in Dar
The 16th edition of the annual EAC Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition was officially opened on Wednesday, 2nd December by the Regional Commissioner for Dar es Salaam, Mr Said Meck Sadiki, on behalf of H.E. President John Pombe Magufuli, at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In his speech, President Magufuli commended the Partner States, the EAC Secretariat, the East Africa Confederation of Informal Sector Organisations (EA-CISO) and Partners for the well-organised exhibition and for promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region.
President Magufuli urged Partner States to invest in human capital and called upon the artisans and the exhibitors to be more competitive, creative, and innovative so as to take advantage of the conducive environment prevailing in the region.
At the same occasion, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of East African Cooperation, Ms Joyce Mapunjo welcomed the exhibitors to Tanzania and noted that the annual exhibition was giving the sector the required recognition and the artisans were not afraid of the integration process.
She said the regional integration is meant for the ordinary people and they should be able to feel and enjoy its benefits and the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi exhibitions provide the perfect forum for integrating the ordinary citizens of the Community.
The Director-General of the EAC Customs and Trade Directorate, Mr Peter Kiguta informed the guests and exhibitors that the theme of the exhibition; Buy Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Products, Build East Africa, portrays the role the sector is expected to play in the regional integration as well as economic development process.
The Director-General congratulated the people of the United Republic of Tanzania for peacefully holding general elections and smooth handover of power. “Tanzania continues to be a beacon of political stability in East Africa and Africa in general and I appeal to other countries in Africa to emulate the example set out by the United Republic of Tanzania”, asserted the EAC official.
The EAC official reiterated that EAC continues to make substantial inroads in the regional integration process with the implementation of the Single Customs Territory, which has recorded reduction in the times taken to clear goods at the ports of entry as well as movement of cargo within the region.
The Director-General disclosed that the region is registering increased intra-regional trade, which has grown in more than four folds from US$ 1.6bn in 2004 to more than US$ 6bn in 2014. Tanzania’s export to the other EAC Partner States had also continued to rise.
The Chairman of the EA-CISO, Mr Josephat Rweyemamu informed the guests that the regional forum facilitates showcasing products by exposing the exhibitors to emerging technologies while at the same offering them an expanded market for their products.
He said this in turn leads to strengthening of the spirit of East African Community through increased employment opportunities and wealth creation hence contributing to poverty reduction.
At the exhibition, Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Hon. Amb. Chirau Ali Mwakwere was delighted that the quality of products had improved tremendously and can compete effectively with similar products from any part of the world.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Hon. Dorothy Samali Hyuha asserted that the Medium and Small Enterprise sector plays a major role in Uganda’s economy in employment creation in both rural and urban areas.
The 16th edition of the East African Community Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition is taking place from 30th November to 6th December 2015, at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Over 1,000 exhibitors are participating in the 7-day event.
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 EA-CISO has organised the annual exhibitions since 1999. The exhibitions have proved to be strategic avenues for promoting the sector’s products, transfer of technologies, and promotion of the regional integration process.