The East Africa Youth Leadership Summit is set to be held from 27th November to 1st December, 2017 at the Training Center for Development Cooperation (MS-TCDC) Campus in Usa River and at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Themed Unlocking Youth Leadership Potential: Youth at the Centre of the East African Integration, the Summit is being organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with MS TCDC.
The Summit, abbreviated as YouLead, has been organized in line with the provisions of the EAC Youth Policy (2016) Priority 14 which mandates the EAC Secretariat to build networks and partnerships and particularly to “institute an annual youth leaders’ forum with the EAC Secretary General as a regional platform for youth engagement with the EAC leadership.”
The objectives of the East African Youth Leadership Summit include; facilitating a step-by-step appreciation of the current opportunities within and beyond the region; challenging young people to think and act beyond conventional takes, and; creating an opportunity to deepen the partnership and cooperation among youth from participating sectors/countries.
Other objectives are to: encourage youth to develop sustainable projects by rolling regional and global issues, and; to nourish constructive exchange of ideas and good practices, hands-on skills development among the youth in the region.
The Summit will feature myriad stakeholders including youth leaders from business, government and civil society sector, policy-makers, thought-provoking academics, daring social entrepreneurs, media people, CEOs, civil society advocates, and other inspirational practitioners.
Participants will range between 15 and 35 years of age with at least 30 representatives from each EAC Partner State. To attain the ultimate goal, but at the same time maintain the youthful aspect, there will be a series of activities and break-out sessions including: workshops, group discussions, dialogues, symposiums, presentations, and formal and informal chats. All the activities will be tailored to ensure maximum interactions among participants.
Partner States’ Ministries responsible for Youth and EAC Affairs, National Youth Councils, Youth Networks, institutions of higher learning and all stakeholders and champions of Youth are expected to fully and actively mobilize participation in the Summit.
Notes to Editors
As of 2014 and 2016, MS Training Center for Development Cooperation (MS TCDC) hosted two remarkable programmes: Youth Governance Festival (YGF14) and the Regional Youth Seminar (RYS16) respectively. The YGF14 aimed at propelling the urgency to involve youth in critical decision-making processes and stimulate their consciousness to proactively integrate their contributions into ongoing governance and development processes at the EAC level.
On the other hand, RYS16 aimed at bringing together youth and youth representatives who took part in the YGF to showcase their works, evaluate progress on the steps taken since the festival, and share their perspectives on addressing the Leadership challenges facing the region. Both programmes managed to attract more than 400 youth from the East African region and beyond.
The programmes are premised on the cognizance that East Africa is one of the sub-regions in Africa in which an estimated 60% percent of the population are youth, described in the EAC Youth Policy as those aged between 15 and 35 years old. The programmes further recognise that as the EAC integration widens and deepens, there is a growing need to bring the youth, present and future leaders, on board to engage with them on issues pertinent to regional integration.
In recognizing that youth are a crucial asset and an important key resource in social economic and political development of the community, MS TCDC in partnership with the EAC Secretariat are undertaking various initiatives to promote continuous dialogue among the youth and incite their interest in advocating for regional integration.
With the previous experience and consultations made from our stakeholders, and in an effort to implement the EAC Youth Policy (2016) priority 14 which calls on the EAC Secretariat to build networks and partnerships, the organizing team has decided to merge the two programmes and come up with one programme – The East Africa Youth Leadership Summit shortly known as “YouLead”. This program, in line to the previous ones, aims at continuing with the efforts of inspiring and challenging young people to play their role in changing their societies for better.
-ENDS-
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, 20th November, 2017:
The East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Germany signed a government agreement today in support of health and education in the EAC. EUR 35 million will be invested in vaccination programmes as well as a scholarship programme for East African students.
In appreciation and acknowledgement of the EAC’s efforts to immunize every child, Germany has been supporting the immunization programme in the region in close collaboration with the EAC and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, since 2013. The region has made great progress in introducing new, life-saving vaccines.
However, challenges remain in reaching out to children in remote areas, achieving high coverage rates for newly introduced vaccines and acceptable coverage rates in the new EAC Partner State South Sudan. Therefore, Germany is contributing EUR 30 million to immunization programmes in the EAC with the signed government agreement. The project is successfully being implemented by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, in close collaboration with Unicef, WHO and the Partner States’ immunization programmes. Germany’s total contribution to the EAC immunization programmes thus amounts to a total of EUR 120 million.
Furthermore, Germany will be contributing EUR 5 million to the EAC for a scholarship programme in cooperation with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). Goal of this programme is to promote EAC’s regional integration agenda by supporting higher education students and their role in fostering awareness for the East African integration process, creating social change as well as economic growth.
The scholarship programme is designed as a regional approach supporting East African students with academic talent and leadership qualities. Beyond the provision of scholarships, the EAC scholars will be actively promoted through programme activities such as regional leadership seminars and mentoring schemes. After graduation beneficiaries of the EAC Scholarship Programme will become highly-skilled ‘change agents’ for their home communities as qualified professionals with a strong understanding of regional challenges, approaches and expertise in their respective subject fields.
HE Dr. Detlef Wächter, German Ambassador to the East African Community: "The new commitments underline that Germany continues to be a strong partner for the EAC in pushing the integration process forward. Education and health are core pillars of sustainable economic development and we are glad to be able to contribute to that in this regional context."
For almost two decades, Germany has been supporting the EAC through financial as well as technical cooperation. Germany's contribution to the EAC amounts to a total of almost EUR 285 million.
In his remarks, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko noted that the EAC and the Federal Republic of Germany have been cooperating in different areas with notable achievements being realized.
“These include Health and Pharmaceutical Sectors; Trade and Customs; Promotion of Gender and Education; Monetary harmonization, Institutional Capacity Strengthening and support to the EAC Partnership Fund;” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
The Secretary Genera thanked Germany for her generous support to the EAC, adding that the collaboration between the two parties continues to grow and become stronger.
Also present at the function were the First Secretary and Head of Regional Cooperation (EAC) at the German Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Ms. Norzin Grigoleit-Dagyab, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, the DSG-Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote and Dr Anthony Kafumbe, the Counsel to the Community.
-ENDS-
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
OR
John Merikion Phone: +255-(0)22 211 740 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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.
‘Diseases don’t have passports – they can cross borders’, the Hon. Jesca Eriyo, Deputy Secretary General Finance and Administration of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, reminded the participants of a three-day regional conference on ‘Lessons for the Future – What East African Experts learned from fighting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa’. The conference was the first of its kind that brought together 50 of the 500 East African doctors, nurses, epidemiologists and many other health specialists who risked their lives by volunteering to be deployed to West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016. According to the World Health Organization, the epidemic killed over 11,000 people and more than 30,000 were infected, and there were real fears that the disease could spread to East Africa and beyond.
The conference, with participation from the African Union, from Regional Economic Communities and Regional Health and Development Organizations, from the WHO AFRO office, the UN and other international development partners as well as representatives from Doctors without Borders and others bodies, was held from 6th to 8th November at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) Duduville Campus in Nairobi, Kenya.
The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat decided to host the conference so that the invaluable experiences and knowledge of these East African health experts could be heard, properly documented, and used to inform lessons for the future for preventing, combating and mitigating future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Over the three days, participants shared their first-hand experiences, discussed the lessons learned and came up with constructive recommendations for future responses. ‘There are some things you can’t learn in a classroom – you only learn from experience,’ said Dr Monica Musenero, WHO’s Field coordinator in Bombali, Sierra Leone and one of the 500 experts from East Africa who volunteered to be deployed to West Africa to help during the Ebola crisis of 2014-16. ’Never in my life did I imagine such an epidemic. It dwarfed everything that had gone before…When I arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone I was unprepared for the horror of what I encountered.’ She compared the experience of fighting Ebola to being at the frontline of a war – ‘except you can’t see the enemy – it’s everywhere.’
Participants discussed the lessons learned from this ‘frontline’ experience and came up with many constructive lessons for improving future responses, including:
Political will is very important for timely declaration and management of epidemics.
Regional and national contingency plans need to be developed and implemented, with adequate resources to prevent and react to future epidemics.
There is a need to establish national and regional teams of experts that can be rapidly deployed in an emergency.
Community engagement is crucial if disease outbreaks are to be effectively contained.
Health systems need to be strengthened and work effectively with other sectors and areas of expertise to ensure a holistic and effective response.
The Hon. Jesca Eriyo said that the lessons learned from the deployed experts’ first-hand experiences would help to strengthen the continents’ future response to outbreaks, and their recommendations would inform the East African Community’s commitment to strengthening health systems and responses, and be presented to the forthcoming East African Head of States summit. She particularly welcomed the participants’ enthusiasm for establishing a pool of experienced experts for rapid deployment in the event of a future emergency.
Dr Zabulon Yeti, head of the WHO AFRO Office in Brazzaville, DRC, welcomed the meeting as an opportunity for deployed exerts to come together and be ‘debriefed’ and talk freely about their experiences. He said he would take five key messages away from the meeting:
Nobody can tackle infectious diseases like Ebola alone. It needs to be a team effort.
Working together leads to better coordination and synergistic actions.
Better local action and early reporting is crucial: the Ebola outbreak in West Africa started with just one case but quickly crossed boundaries and continents.
Ebola is a disease that crossed from animals to humans, so animal and human health and the effects of the environment and climate change are all closely related and need a multi-sectoral ‘One Health’ response.
The key lesson is that containing future outbreaks will need community engagement, and that entails better understanding of culture and traditions and more effective risk communication. Dr Yoti said that some community responders working in West Africa had been stoned and threatened ‘because we did not understand the community.’
Dr Babatunde Jegede from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health in Lagos spoke on behalf of the West African experts who fought Ebola in the affected countries. During a press briefing he stressed the importance of continuous exchange and close cooperation between and among the African regions for better future preparedness. He and his colleagues present at the conference contributed their experiences from fighting the epidemic and said they would take home the lessons learned from their East African sisters and brothers.
Jesca Eriyo concluded the meeting by thanking all formerly deployed East African experts present who had risked their own lives in the fight against Ebola: ‘From deep down in my heart I thank you and applaud your sacrifice … you will always be celebrated as heroes.’
The conference was organised by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Federal Government of Germany through the GIZ coordinated ‘Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region’ project and in cooperation with GIZ’s Epidemic Preparedness Team (Schnell Einsetzbare Expertengruppe Gesundheit, SEEG) and the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, KfW) supported ‘EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases’.
Contact: Othieno Richard Owora: EAC Secretariat
Video and audio interviews with health workers who worked in West Africa, and photos of the conference are available on request.
Kenneth K. Byoona, Risk and Crisis Communication, Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region, GIZ Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: +255 27 250 123
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 17th November, 2017:
The Facilitator to the Inter-Burundi Dialogue and former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H. E. Benjamin William Mkapa, after consultations with the Mediator H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda called for a dialogue session to take place in Arusha from 27th November to 8th December 2017.
This Key Session will provide an opportunity to all Barundi, at home and abroad, to engage with each other in frank and meaningful deliberations on the political, social and economic problems facing their country.
It is expected that together they will reach a consensus on the way forward. The Facilitator will provide an enabling environment and guidance as necessary.
-ENDS-
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, 18th November, 2017:
The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko handed over the Chairmanship of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Task Force (TTF) to Mr Sindiso Ndema Ngwenya, the Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on Friday 17th November, 2017.
Speaking during the handover ceremony , the EAC Secretary General and outgoing Chairperson, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko commended the incoming Chair for the various occasions he was able to step in on his behalf as TTF Chair during some important events that have taken place over the last few months.
“I wish to specifically make reference to the signing ceremonies of the Tripartite Agreement by the Republic of Madagascar and also the Republic of Mauritius’’
He said during the EAC’s tenure as Chair of the TTF from October 2016 to date, incremental progress has been made towards the realisation of the Tripartite vision of a developmental Free Trade Area that will promote economic development and growth in the 26 Partner States
The outgoing Chair highlighted the progress made during EAC’s tenure which includes negotiations on all the outstanding Annexes in the Tripartite Agreement; 21 Member States have now signed the Free Trade Area Agreement out of 26; Work and Infrastructure programmes has been developed and was considered during the first Tripartite Ministerial Committee Meeting on Infrastructure.
Amb Mfumukeko informed the participants who attended the ceremony that the Tripartite now entered a new phase towards the realisation of the Tripartite agenda in which the primary focus areas are; concluding the negotiations on the outstanding areas of Agreement such as the Rules of origin and Tariffs, commencing work on Phase 2 negotiations, concluding the Agreement on Movement of Business Person as well as concretizing the ongoing work on the Industrial and Infrastructure Pillars.
“I am happy to tell you that all the EAC Partner States have committed to ratifying the Agreement by December, 2017’’
He called for the incoming Chair to address the main challenge which arises from the lack of funds which has had a paralyzing effect on the implementation of the Tripartite work schedules across the board. “I am confident that the incoming Chair, will successfully pursue and deliver on our engagement with the bank and also explore other diversified source for budgetary support’’
On his part, the incoming Chair and Secretary General of COMESA Mr Sindiso Ndema Ngwenya thanked the EAC, as the outgoing chairperson, for the excellent work done and achievements that have been made during her tenure as chairperson.
Speaking on the challenge of funding Mr. Ngwenya informed the meeting that the African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided some financial resources to support efforts aimed at creating awareness on the importance of the Tripartite FTA Agreement and the need to have it ratified by Tripartite Member/Partner States that have signed it in order for it to enter into force.
He disclosed to the participants that the Agreement requires at 14 ratifications before it may become operational and so far it is only Egypt that has ratified with the EAC being in the process of ratification.
The incoming Chair said the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite is in dire need of financial resources to support proceeding with Phase II work as the budgetary support from cooperating partners that supported Phase I work has been exhausted
“I am confident that with the concerted effort and support of EAC and SADC in the Tripartite Task Force, the task of mobilizing for resources and clearing outstanding work will be manageable’’
-ENDS-
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, 18th November, 2017:
The People’s Republic of China has appointed Wang Ke, its current Ambassador to Tanzania, as a representative to the East African Community (EAC). Her Excellency Wang Ke presented accreditation letter to the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko on 17th November, 2017, at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania
Speaking at the event, the Chinese envoy described the accreditation as an honour, commending the close and cordial relations between her country and the EAC.
H.E Ke noted the region’s positive economic development due to political stability and reiterated his country’s commitment to enhance further collaboration with the bloc.
On his part the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko noted that China had continued to be a good partner of the region and EAC appreciates its contribution towards building the Community in various fields including infrastructure development.
The Secretary General underscored the importance of the accreditation which means more engagement of co-operation between the EAC and the People’s Republic of China for the development of the region.
Amb Mfumukeko briefed Chinese Envoy on the progresses being registered by the Community so far that include implementation of Protocols on the Customs Union, Common Market and East African Monetary Union.
Meanwhile, the East African Community and the Republic of China signed a Financing Agreement of USD 200,000 for integration agenda. The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko signed on behalf of the Community while H.E Wang Ke, signed on behalf of People’s Republic of China.
-ENDS-
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, 16th November, 2017:
The EAC Secretariat regrets to announce the postponement of the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development that was scheduled for 28th to 29th November in Kampala, Uganda.
This postponement comes following consultations and guidance from the Chairperson of the EAC Heads of State Summit, H.E President Yoweri Museveni. Convening the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health
Development and Financing as earlier planned will coincide with the African Union Heads of State - European Union Summit due in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on 29th to 30th November 2017, where the EAC Heads of State are expected to attend.In a bid to give way for effective dialogue at both events for the benefit of the East African region, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in collaboration with Partner States are working on rescheduling the Retreat and a final decision on the new dates shall be communicated in due course.
The papers and registrations for participants and exhibitors received will retain an active status until the rescheduled date.
We greatly appreciate your support and understanding. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
For more information on the Joint Retreat, visit the retreat website: www.eacihr17.eac.int
-ENDS-
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, 14th November, 2017:
The African Development Bank East Africa Regional Resource Centre (EARC), and the East African Community (EAC) on Monday 13th November, 2017 signed a Financing Agreement of $1,151,515 to finance the Project Preparation Phase of three (3) key Multinational Road Sections between Masaka in Uganda to Kumunazi in Tanzania.
The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko signed on behalf of the Community while Mr. Gabriel Negatu, Director General of the African Development Bank East Africa Regional Resource Centre (EARC), signed on behalf of African Development Bank.
The purpose of the Grant is to finance the Project Preparation Phase of three (3) key Multinational Road Sections between Masaka in Uganda to Kumunazi in Tanzania. The key Multinational Road Sections covered under this Grant for preparatory works include: Masaka to Mutukula Section (89.5km) in Uganda; Mutukula to Kyaka Section (30km) in Tanzania as well as Bugene to Kasulo to Kumunazi Section (133kM) also located in Tanzania.
At the same occasion, the EAC presented a list of 18 priority projects to be supported by the Bank under its Regional Integration Strategy Paper(RISP) 2017-2021
Presence at the signing ceremony were the EAC Deputy Secretaries General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure , Eng Steven Mlote, Counsel to the Community, Dr. Anthony Kafumbe, Executive Secretary of Lake Victoria Basin Commission( LVBC), Dr. Said Ali Matano and Executive Secretary of East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC), Prof Gibson Kibiki.
-ENDS-
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, 13th November, 2017:
The EAC Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) kicked off at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania today.
The SCTIFI meeting, which will run from 13th November to 17 November, 2017, has drawn participants from all EAC Partner States namely: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The five-day meeting, which began with the Session of Senior Officials, will also include the Session of the Coordination Committee (comprising Permanent/Principal/Under Secretaries) and culminate with the Session of Ministers.
High on the agenda of the meeting are the consideration of Progress Reports on; status of the implementation of previous decision; update on the EAC-EU-EPA; AGOA Out of Cycle Review; Sectoral Committee on Investment and the Committee on Customs.
The meeting will also consider: implementation of the EAC Common Market Scorecard recommendations; Committee on Industry and small and medium enterprises sector and Withdrawal of Stay of Application on Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and use of Common External Tariff ( CET).
Speaking during the official opening session on behalf of the EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko, the Director General -Customs and Trade, Mr Kenneth Bagamuhunda said SCTIFI is one of the crucial and critical organ which sets directions and momentum of the integration agenda in the sector.
Mr. Bagamuhunda expressed the EAC Secretariat's commitment to work together with Partner States to spur efforts towards strengthening the regional integration agenda.
-ENDS-
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, 11th November, 2017:
The East African Community (EAC) in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Korea on Friday launched the EAC Industrial Competitiveness Report 2017 (ICR 2017) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Themed ‘Harnessing the EAC Market to Drive Industrial Competitiveness and Growth,’ the report assesses EAC’s industrial performance vis-à-vis other regions and role models in Asia and Africa and sheds light on strategic short- and long-term industrialization paths that the EAC should pursue.
ICR 2017 provides a compass to policy-makers, the private sector (in particular manufacturing firms and associations), and a wide range of stakeholders on the broader direction of the industrial development trajectory of the EAC and of the internal competitiveness dynamics among Partner States.
Speaking at the event, Uganda’s Minister of State for EAC Affairs, Hon. Julius Muganda, said that Industrialization in the context of the EAC region will depend on how the region strategically leverages itself to maximize on the opportunities created by the Common Market Protocol as a stimulus for demand, while simultaneously capitalising on other emerging markets for manufacturers.
“The realisation of a fully functioning Common Market and the deepening of regional integration through a monetary union are crucial for providing the much-needed impetus for industrialisation in the region,” said Hon. Muganda, who represented the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Hon. Kirunda Kivejinja, Uganda’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for EAC Affairs.
Hon. Muganda further emphasized on the need for leaders and technocrats to think of a collective regional strategy to respond to unemployment including expanding the manufacturing sector capacity and promoting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and youth entrepreneurs.
In his remarks, the Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat, Mr. Alhaj Rashid Kibowa, contribution of the manufacturing sector remains at paltry 10 percent, adding that the sector has been on a decline in the recent past.
“It is against this background and in recognition of the existing challenges that the region embarked on the programme “Strengthening Capacities for Industrial Formulation and Implementation in the East African Community,” said Alhaj Kibowa.
Alhaj Kibowa noted that the implementation of the programme had enhanced the region’s capacity for industrial policy design, monitoring and evaluation, culminating into the development of the ICR 2017.
“Consistent with the EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy, the ICR 2017 has enhanced the region’s capacity to: design, manage and implement an industrial policy and collect industrial statistics and data. Further to this, it has strengthened the institutional capacity of the EAC Secretariat, Governments of all EAC Partner States and key private sector stakeholders,” said Alhaj Kibowa.
Also present at the launch of the report was South Korean Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Geum-Young Song who reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continue supporting the EAC in realizing its goal of industrialization.
Dr. Stephen Kargbo, UNIDO representative to Tanzania, Mauritius and EAC speaking at the ICR 2017 launch expressed hope that the EAC would use the findings of the report to revitalize the industrial sector in East Africa.
“While we conclude successfully the implementation of the current regional project, we are also exploring with our main counterpart, the EAC Secretariat, options for a phase II that would ensure produced diagnostics translate into concrete industrial policy processes, instruments and action plans creating significant positive impact for the industrial development in the region,” said Dr. Kargbo.
He also assured stakeholders that whereas UNIDO will continue to play its role, supporting relevant institutions in capacity building activities for strengthening industrial policy making capacities, it was the responsibility of Partner States’ governments and other stakeholders to transform the initiative into meaningful strategies for the attainment of sustainable and inclusive economic development in EAC.
Prof. Elisante Ole Gabriel, the Permanent Secretary in Tanzania’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, urged EAC Partner States to foster close cooperation in order to realize sustainable competitive advantage on the global market.
Closing the one-day event, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, said that East Africa was on the way to becoming a regional hub for manufacturing and a gateway to investment in Africa.
“To be successful in this venture, our industrial policies should seek to promote structural changes,” said Eng. Mlote.
Implementation of phase two of the project will switch from diagnostics to industrial policy processes and instruments. This means that the focus will be on the establishing a regional industrial intelligence and policy advisory support, enhancing capacity for competitiveness analysis of the Industrial sector, putting in place a regional competitiveness framework to facilitate benchmarking and establishing an e-Industrial information Resource Centre.
Note to Editors:
The EAC Secretariat in collaboration with UNIDO is implementing a programme on “Strengthening Capacities for Industrial Policy Formulation and Implementation in the East African Community” which was approved by the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment during its meeting held on 22nd May, 2015.
Through the Programme, specific trainings have been delivered at both national and regional levels to create, among other things, capacity for industrial competitiveness analysis as envisaged in the EAC industrialization policy and Strategy. As a result, the programme has greatly contributed to enhancement of capacity for industrial policy, analysis, design, monitoring and evaluation at Partner States and the Secretariat levels.
To ensure sustainability and full use of knowledge acquired in the trainings, the Secretariat in collaboration with UNIDO and a team of experts from Partner States took the initiative of preparing the EAC Industrial Competitiveness Report, 2017 (ICR-2017).
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.
