The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko today took over the Chairmanship of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Task Force (TTF) over the next year from Dr. Stergomena Tax, the SADC Executive Secretary, who oversaw the work of the Tripartite from July 2015 to October 2016.
Addressing Hon. Members of the Council, Directors and senior officials from the COMESA, EAC and SADC Member States at the hand-over ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, commended Dr. Stergomena Tax for the exemplary leadership during the period of the Tripartite, especially given the resource constraints which have delayed the launch of Phase II negotiations and the implementation of other important activities.
The Secretary General noted that there were many hurdles to be overcome in meeting the clear priorities the Tripartite Council had set and he prioritized resource mobilization: finalization of studies for phase II negotiations whereby EAC will work closely with COMESA Secretariat on the necessary actions to be taken; Tariff Offer Negotiations to always be on the agenda of the relevant Policy Organs; and lastly Ratification of Tripartite Free Trade Area. He disclosed that EAC has pledged to ratify and deposit instruments of ratification by the end of February 2017 and urged all Member/Partner States to ratify the Agreement before the end of June 2017.
At the hand over ceremony, which was also attended by Dr. Stergomena Tax, the SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Kipyego Cheluget, the COMESA Deputy Secretary, and Mr. Peter Kiguta, the EAC Director-General, Customs and Trade, the Secretary General pledged to work towards the attainment of the Tripartite Free Trade Area by June 2017.
The main focus during the SADC Chairmanship (July 2015 to October 2016) was to lead the TTF to facilitate Member/Partner States implement the directives of the 3rd Tripartite Summit following the launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area on 10th June 2015 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, namely: expeditious operationalization of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area; finalization of outstanding issues on the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement in relation to Annex 1 on Elimination of Import Duties, Annex 2 on Trade Remedies and Annex 4 on Rules of Origin and the legal scrubbing of completed Annexes; and commencement of Phase II negotiations covering trade in services, cooperation in trade and development, competition policy, intellectual property rights and cross border investments.
The Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE II) – which seeks to strengthen 24 competitively selected centers to deliver quality, market-relevant post-graduate education in Eastern and Southern Africa – was launched in Nairobi by the Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and the World Bank.
The five-year project will work to build collaborative research capacity in five regional priority areas: industry (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), agriculture, health, education and applied statistics. The $140 million project is financed by the World Bank in form of credit to eight participating countries. These include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. IUCEA, an East African Community institution responsible for coordinating the development of higher education will facilitate and coordinate the project.
Hon. Fred Matiangi, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, in his remarks to the participating country delegates, thanked the World Bank for its support for the education sector. He also called on all governments to end bureaucratic delays that slow project implementation.
“We don’t get any useful results from being bureaucratic. Governments should not be a hurdle; they should be a facilitating entity.”
Dr. Sajitha Bashir, World Bank’s Practice Manager for its Education Global Practice, said that the Bank sees this as a broader effort to build technical and scientific capability for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.
“Without these highly specialized professional skills and without that critical mass, we don’t think that Africa can transform itself,” she said.
Over the project’s duration of five years, the selected ACEs are expected to enroll more than 3,500 graduate students in the regional development priority areas, out of which at least 700 would be PhD students and more than 1,000 would be female. It also plans to facilitate publication of at least 1,500 journal articles, launch more than 300 research collaborations with the private sector and other institutions, and generate about US$30 million in external revenue.
Prof. Colletta Suda, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Kenya, noted the great need for training in science and technology in the region, which currently lags behind in generating sufficient graduates in these fields.
“We have a shortage of graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction, which translates to fewer skilled professionals with specialized knowledge in areas like oil and gas, energy and railways industries,” she said. “The scale of the need for highly skilled and specialised labour in the region is so large that it is unsustainable to send most of our post-postgraduate students abroad for training.”
Suda added that it makes sense to pool the Eastern and Southern Africa region’s existing human and financial resources into a few specialized centers that would have the explicit mandate of offering quality education and relevant research to serve the entire region’s needs.
All centers of excellence (ACEs) were selected through an objective, transparent and merit-based process. Out of the 92 eligible proposals submitted, 24 were selected from universities across the eight participating countries. Each ACE will receive US$4.5 – $6m to implement its own proposal.
It is envisaged that at the end of the project the centers will have developed sufficient capacity to become sustainable regional hubs for training and research in their specialized fields, capable of leading efforts to address priority development challenges and improve lives in the region.
IUCEA, the ACE II regional facilitation unit, will provide forums for the private sector and ACEs to share knowledge on collaborative research ideas. It will also supervise a competitive scholarship program in which 30 regional students in STEM will be financed for two years to attain a Master’s degree in any of the ACEs.
Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje, Executive Secretary of IUCEA said the institute values this new partnership with governments in the region.
“We value this new partnership to improve the quality of training and research in higher education, and reduce the skill gaps in key development priority areas.”
The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko yesterday paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, in State House, Entebbe, Uganda.
The Secretary General briefed the President on various integration matters including progress on consolidation of Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and Political Federation. The Secretary General also updated the President on the progress and roadmap on the integration of the new Partner State; South Sudan into the Community’s projects and programmes.
On his part, the President commended the EAC Secretariat and the Partner States for fast-tracking the joining of the Republic of South Sudan into the Community, which he emphasized, was a great gain in the integration agenda. He noted that this has enlarged the region’s political and economic space.
H.E Yoweri Museveni urged the Secretary General to fasten the process of Political Federation, adding that his dream was to see a United Africa and not only East Africa.
President Museveni, who is the Mediator of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue, informed Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko that it was important and necessary to engage all stakeholders in the dialogue that is geared towards attaining lasting peace in Burundi. He emphasized that there was need for peace in Burundi for the country to participate and benefit fully in the regional integration process.
Uganda’s Minister of State for EAC Affairs, Hon. Julius Wandera Maganda, accompanied the Secretary General to meet the President.
The second EAC Common Market Scorecard (CMS) 2016 which evaluates implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol was launched yesterday in Kampala, Uganda by the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Finance and Administration, Hon. Jesca Eriyo. The Scorecard 2016, which measures Partner States’ compliance to the free movement of capital, services, and goods, was developed by the World Bank Group together with Trade Mark East Africa at the request of the EAC Secretariat.
The Scorecard was developed over a period of 18 months under the supervision of the EAC Secretariat and Partner States. The areas of capital, services and goods were selected for scoping as they are fundamental to the operations of the Common Market.
Addressing the participants at the launching, the EAC Deputy Secretary General stated that “a number of reforms have been undertaken since the 2014 CMS. These have brought the total number of non-conforming measures (NCMs) down from 63 in 2014 to 59 in 2016.’’ While this shows progress it should be noted that all EAC Partner States remain largely non-compliant in their services trade liberalization commitments, added Hon. Jesca Eriyo.
Hon Eriyo disclosed to the participants that In CMS 2016 all Partner States were given full marks for compliance. Subsequent scorecards should consider assessing implementation of these commitments.The Deputy Secretary General informed the participants that the Scorecard is well aligned with the EAC’s implementation priorities. "It fosters peer learning and facilitate the adoption of best practice in the region”.
“The Scorecard will contribute to strengthen the regional market, grow the private sector and deliver benefits to consumers,” stated Hon. Eriyo.
She said the implementation in terms of recognition of certificates of origin, an issue repeatedly identified as a significant non-tariff barrier (NTB) in 2014, Burundi continues to earn full points and Kenya continues to score 90 percent. Tanzania’s recognition of certificates of origin has improved from 50 to 60 percent; Rwanda and Uganda’s scores have both declined, indicating a worsening performance in terms of recognizing certificates of origin of other EAC Partner States. Most countries improved their score on applying tariff equivalent charges, though such charges persist as barriers to intra-EAC trade, stated the EAC official.
Hon Jesca Eriyo disclosed to the participants that the EAC average of resolution of new NTBs for the 2016 period was about 54 percent, better than the 38 percent rate for CMS 2014. The EAC Deputy Secretary General called for greater information sharing regarding the Treaty and Protocol provisions in the Partner States. Some members of the private sector, including private sector apex bodies, were unfamiliar with the Protocol or with the commitments affecting their operations. Hon Eriyo urged Partner States to strongly engage and inform the private sector on the implications on these reforms on their day-to-day operations across the region and develop a private sector reform champions who could help push for implementation.
Catherine Masinde, the Practice Manager, East Africa, Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank Group, said, EAC Partners have done a commendable effort in removing barriers to free movement of capital, services and goods, but more needs to be done.
She said the EAC Scorecard provides transparent, rigorous, unbiased and client-led data on the key implementation gaps to the integration of the region’s economies. It also highlights possible reform areas to improve compliance to the Common Market Protocol”.
On his part Vice Chairman of East African Business Council Uganda, Kassim Omary, said it is of atmost importance to measure the extent to which the EAC Parter States are translating the Common Market Protocol into policies that support actualization of free movement of people and workers, goods, services and the rights of establishment and residence within the EAC Partner States.
Mr Richard Kamajugo, Senior Director of Trade Mark East Africa in-charge of Trade and Environment, said that the TMEA Program of support to the Common Market Scorecard has been running from 2012 to march 2017,under the EAC Investment Climate Programe. He said the total budget support to the program was $ 10.4m, through IFC and EAC (technical support), under a 5 component program aimed at increasing inter and intra-regional trade and investment through investment climate reforms supporting the EAC Common Market.
A three-day meeting attended by a broad spectrum of stakeholders and experts from the Automotive Industry, Finance, Customs and Trade sectors as well as vehicle manufacturing company representatives from the East African Community Partner States has come to a close at the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
The main objective of the meeting organized by the EAC and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was to review and validate the progress report of the Comprehensive Study on Automotive Industry and provide inputs towards finalization of the same and also inform the EAC and potential private sector investors (both foreign and domestic) on policy options and modalities to promote and develop the motor vehicle industry in the region.
The EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy (2012-2032) aims at ‘transforming the manufacturing sector in EAC through higher value addition and product diversification based on comparative and competitive advantages of the region’ and is currently under implementation.
The 16th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community Heads of State of 20th February, 2015 “directed the EAC Council of Ministers to study the modalities for promotion of motor vehicle assembly in the region, and to reduce the importation of used motor vehicles from outside the community, and to report progress to the 17th Summit.”
The Summit at their 17th Ordinary Meeting held on 2nd March, 2016 took note of the progress and roadmap towards finalization of the Comprehensive Study on the Automotive Industry in the region and directed the Council to expedite the process and to the 18th Summit.
In implementing the Summit directives, the EAC Secretariat partnered with JICA, which commissioned a consultancy study to be finalized in April 2017. The draft progress report on automotive industry in the EAC outlining the status of automotive industry in the region, and the initial policy issues emerging from the benchmarking missions was prepared. The team embarked on consultative missions to EAC Partner States to compile baseline information on the status of the automotive industry, and to Vietnam and Japan for a benchmarking exercise from 20th September to 7th October, 2016.
Japanese academicians shared their global best practices of promoting the automotive industry in the EAC region while the Partner States made presentations on the status and challenges facing the automotive industry in their countries.
It was observed that the motorcycle sector is growing rapidly in the EAC region. With the rise in number, the sales price drops due to economies of scale. Further, along with the increase of production volumes, local production is gradually initiated for parts and materials that meet the effective minimum production scale. In addition to the complete build-up unit sales itself, demands are increased for repair services and their associated areas (forward linkage effect). This sector therefore offers opportunity for rapid development and needs to be initial entry point for rapid development of the automotive industry.
The study missions to Vietnam and Japan revealed that the usage of local content was one of the drivers for the growth of the automotive sector. This is an area that EAC needs to explore further and adopt appropriate measures which will consequently spur the development of the sector.
The experts also noted, among other things, the need for policy coherence within different sectors for the progress of the automobile sector. It was also observed that for the automotive industry to grow there is need for volumes that can lead to economies of scale and therefore, a regional approach to develop the sector and leverage on the EAC, COMESA and SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area.
Having considered the mission study report and a summary of issues and observations deliberated, the meeting was declared officially closed by the Chairperson; Eng. Elli Pallangyo, Assistant Director, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment from the United Republic of Tanzania.
EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Daniel Fred Kidega wants global Parliamentarians and Parliaments to take the lead in reversing the ever-increasing human rights abuses in the society. He says legislators must rise up to the occasion, accept responsibility and diligently play their roles to avoid been roundly condemned for doing too little or nothing, in stopping such abuses.
The remarks are contained in a speech delivered on behalf of the EALA Speaker by Member, Hon Taslima Twaha, yesterday at the 135th Meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union currently underway in Geneva, Switzerland.
The theme of this year’s Assembly is “Human Rights Abuses as Precursors of Conflict: Parliament as Early Responders”. Over 700 delegates and about 30 Speakers are in attendance at the congress.
The EALA Speaker told the meeting of the strong interdependence between human rights violations and intractable conflicts and warned of its disproportionate impact to women and children, especially the girl child. He stated that lack of free, fair and credible elections remained a catalyst in the long run, leading to instability, conflicts and therefore human rights abuses. The Speech cited Parliaments as first responders in resolving the violations and called for passage and enactment of relevant pieces of legislation, enhanced budgets and better oversight on matters of human rights abuses.
EALA has passed two key related pieces of legislation the EAC Conflict Management Act, 2012 and the EAC Human and Peoples Rights Bill, 2011. “The enforcement of regional and national legislation is absolutely fundamental”, Hon Taslima added.
The legislator said the region had not been spared and it remains prone to conflicts that affect the citizens of the EAC as in other parts of the globe. This is despite efforts by the founders of the EAC towards underscoring human rights and democracy at inception of the EAC.
“The unrests in some Partner States are still a big challenge to the Community today leading to cases of human rights abuses. The region and specifically, the Republics of Kenya and Uganda have also borne the effects of the Al-Shabaab, with hundreds of lives lost to terrorism and property damaged”, he said.“Internationally, the Syrian Crisis in Aleppo is getting to very alarming heights. Documented cases of human rights abuses have been brought to the fore”, the legislator added.
The 135th Meeting of the IPU commenced on Monday this week. In attendance are delegations of legislators from the globe. The EAC region is well represented. They include, Speakers from Kenya (Senate), Rt Hon Ekwe Ethuro, Parliament of South Sudan, Rt. Hon Anthony Lino Makana and Rt Hon Rebecca Kadaga of the Parliament of Uganda. The delegation of the Parliament of Rwanda is led by the Vice President of the Senate, Hon Harerimana Fatou while the 2nd Vice President of the Burundi National Assembly, Hon Edouard Nduwimana leads a team from Bujumbura.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) 135th Assembly is urging all relevant parties to bring an end to Syrian war. They also called today for the immediate, unimpeded and permanent humanitarian and medical access to the civilian population in Syria in order to ensure that supplies reach over 550,000 people in besieged areas, deprived from almost all humanitarian aid.
In an emergency resolution adopted by consensus, the IPU urged parties to the conflict to reinstate the ceasefire agreement of September 2016 and to ensure the security and freedom of movement of humanitarian personnel.
Acknowledging that over 11 million people have lost their homes in Syria, 6.5 million of whom are internally displaced, and that 4.8 million have had to flee abroad since the outbreak of hostilities, MPs addressed the war and the severe humanitarian situation in Syria, particularly in Aleppo.
In other news, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt Hon Rebecca Kadaga, was elected Chair of the African Geo-Political Group. Africa’s Geo-Political Group consists of 50 Parliaments from the Continent. Each geopolitical group plays an important role in the functioning of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Each group decides on its own working methods that best suit its participation in the activities of the Union, its composition and its Rules of Procedure.
On other related matters, a new study released by the IPU reveals that harassment and violence against women MPs are global problems that impede gender equality and undermine the foundations of democracy. IPU’s study is based on in-depth interviews with 55 women MPs from 39 countries covering five regions of the world. It shows troubling level of psychological, sexual and physical violence.
The study reports that 81.8 per cent of survey participants have experienced some form of psychological violence. Among them, some 44 per cent said they had received threats of death, rape, beatings or abduction during their parliamentary terms, including threats to kidnap or kill their children.
“This is a survey of a small percentage of women MPs, but it makes clear that the problem is much more widespread and under-reported than we realize. The Parliamentary community must speak out against sexism and harassment and make clear that it cannot be tolerated as the price to be paid for women’s political involvement,” a statement by IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong said in part.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national Parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action. To that end, IPU fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experience among Parliaments and Parliamentarians of all countries. IPU also contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights - an essential factor of Parliamentary democracy and development. EALA is an Associate Member of the IPU.
The second East African Community Common Market Scorecard 2016 (CMS 2016) which evaluates implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol, will be launched on October 27, 2016 in Kampala, Uganda. The Scorecard has been developed by the EAC Secretariat with the support of the World Bank Group and Trade Mark East Africa.
The main purpose of the scorecard is to measure compliance of selected commitments to the Protocol – and in so doing, facilitate policy dialogue by identifying good practices, track reforms, facilitate sharing of reform experiences, and enable research and analysis on the links between reforms in measured areas and desired outcomes.
The second publication of the scorecard (CMS 2016) brings to light, in respect of the recommendations of the 2014 edition, reforms undertaken by each Partner State and establishes whether Partner States have enacted new restrictions or nonconforming measures since September 30, 2013.
Fundamentals behind non-compliance with conformity measures are identified and appropriate measures recommended for spurring the region’s move towards full implementation of the focal commitments in the four freedoms in the Common Market Protocol, namely: the free movement of goods; labour; services; and capital, which significantly boost trade and investments and make the region more productive and prosperous.
The scorecard 2016 focuses on the following three freedoms that were also the basis of the CMS2014 assessment:
Capital (focusing on 20 operations)
Services (focusing on four key service sectors - Professional Services (Architecture, Engineering, Accounting and Legal services); Transport (Road and Air); Telecommunications and Distribution Services.
Goods (focusing on NTBs)
Article 50 of the EAC Common Market Protocol requires the development of the a framework for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Protocol. The Protocol was signed by the regional Leaders on November 20, 2009 and came into force on July 1, 2010.
A one-day high-level meeting between the Permanent/Principal Secretaries in charge of East African Community Affairs in the Partner States and officials from the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) is taking place in Kampala, Uganda.
The meeting is considering, among other things, capacity building and sensitization priorities for the RSS, projects/programme priorities for RSS, institutional inclusion of RSS into the Organs (EAC Secretariat, EALA, EACJ) and Institutions of the Community, and domestication and implementation by RSS of critical EAC instruments like passports, transit transport documentations, applicable standards in health, trade and civil aviation safety and security.
Addressing the meeting, Uganda’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of EAC Affairs, Mrs. Edith Mwanje, on behalf of the Chair of the EAC Coordination Committee, Amb Dr. Aziz P. Mlima, who is the PS in Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional and International Cooperation, hailed RSS’s commitment to the integration process and the internal efforts towards restoration of peace, security and tranquility in the country.
“We are convinced that the meeting of today is a key catalyst to these efforts and will aid in the speeding up of the integration and participation of the Republic of South Sudan in the affairs and processes of the Community,” said Ms. Mwanje.
The leader of the RSS delegation, Hon. Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, who is also the Presidential Economic Advisor, commended the Permanent/Principal Secretaries for the efforts that led to the admission of RSS into the Community. He affirmed to the delegates that the situation in South Sudan was calm and things were being sorted out internally and appreciated the support the country was receiving from the region.
Addressing the delegates, the Secretary General of the EAC, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, said the meeting was being held pursuant to the implementation of a directive of the 17th Extra Ordinary Summit held in Dar es Salaam last month to agree on the priorities to underpin the development of a roadmap for the full integration of South Sudan into the Community.
He said that the proposed roadmap will be used as the benchmark upon which RSS projects, programmes, institutional inclusion, responsibilities and obligations to the EAC will be monitored. The Secretary General urged the meeting to come up with priorities and recommendations to assist the Secretariat to compile the draft roadmap and budget for RSS integration for consideration by both parties before consideration by the EAC Council of Ministers.
Mr. Mou Mou Athian Kuol, the Secretary General of the South Sudan-EAC Secretariat, informed the delegates that South Sudan’s joining the EAC was natural because the country has always been historically, culturally and ethnically a part of the greater East Africa region.
Mr. Kuol said that the country’s membership in the EAC would enhance cooperation in many areas including: governance, economic, political and defence, adding that it would also harmonize the RSS’s legal system, customs and numerous standards with that of the Community and create a web of positive interactions making both internal and external conflict less likely.
The Secretary General revealed that the integration of the RSS into the Community will be done in phases, saying: “Aware of capacity requirements, the implementation shall be phased-in and progressive to allow for South Sudan to build relevant capacity and strengthen its institutions.”
He disclosed that in the course of the negotiations for the admission of RSS into the Community, it was agreed that South Sudan will have 3 years after accession to prepare for implementation of the Customs Union and Common Market Protocols. “After the three-year period, RSS will still be allowed to request for additional time in line with EAC laws if it finds itself unable to comply with certain requirements.”
He also disclosed that following the linear integration model, the initial focus will be on the Customs Union Protocol (implementation of the Common External Tariff and Single Customs Territory) and key provisions of the Common Market Protocol such as Freedom of Movement of Capital, Services, Goods, Persons and Labour.
The 8th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2017 (EAPCE’17) will be held from 8th to 10th March, 2017 at the Le Panoramique Hotel in Bujumbura, Burundi. The conference organized by the East African Community (EAC) is expected to attract more than 600 participants.
The 2017 edition of the biennial conference under the theme, East Africa - An Emerging Hotspot for Oil and Gas Exploration, Infrastructure Development and Commercialization, aims at promoting the region’s petroleum potential and investment opportunities. The last five Conferences have proven a valuable forum for governments and petroleum industry players from around the world to dialogue.
According to the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, the conference is expected to provide a forum for dialogue for all players in the Petroleum industry regionally and internationally.
“It will provide unique networking opportunities with government, private sector, regional organizations, academia, technology developers, investors and civil society,” added the Secretary General.
Held since 2003, the East African Petroleum Conferences have provided increasing awareness of the potential for petroleum development in the region and other important developments in the petroleum sector including technological advancements in exploration, development and production.
Delegates can expect high quality technical presentations, exhibitions from a wide spectrum of players from the petroleum sector. The conference programme integrates field excursions to selected sites in each Partner State for delegates to see the rich geological variety that the region possesses as well as the touristic attractions that the region is well known for.
EAPCE’17 is taking place at the peak of EAC's transforming into a Common Market. This transformation is geared towards providing great opportunities for business and investment in all sectors as the single market provides for free movement of goods, capital and services within the region.
Important Conference Dates:
Event
date
Open Submissions of Abstracts
September 15, 2016
Open Registration
September 15, 2016
Abstract Submission Deadline
November 30, 2016
Notification of Acceptance
December 16, 2016
Early Bird Registration Deadline
December 31, 2016
Regular Registration Deadline
March 5, 2017
Late Registration Deadline
March 8, 2017
Exhibition Booth Hire Deadline
March 1, 2017
Conference Start
March 8, 2017
Conference End
March 10, 2017
For more information on EAPCE’17, visit the conference website: www.eapce17.eac.int
A broad spectrum of stakeholders and experts from the Automotive Industry, Finance, Customs and Trade sectors as well as vehicle manufacturing company representatives from the EAC Partner States embarked on a three-day meeting at the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
The main objective of the meeting, which is organized by the EAC and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is to review and validate the progress report of the Comprehensive Study on Automotive Industry and provide inputs towards finalization of the same and also inform the EAC and potential private sector investors (both foreign and domestic) on policy options and modalities to promote and develop the motor vehicle industry in the region.
The EAC Heads of State Summit have on various occasions reiterated the need to promote motor vehicle assembling in the region, given the huge potential that can be realized from a thriving iron ore extraction and beneficiation industry that can in turn, lay the foundations for a globally competitive steel production industry on a scale to support the establishment of an automotive industry in East Africa.
Cognizant of this, the 16th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community Heads of State of 20th February 2015 “directed the EAC Council of Ministers to study the modalities for promotion of motor vehicle assembly in the region, and to reduce the importation of used motor vehicles from outside the community, and to report progress to the 17th Summit.”
The Director for Productive and Social Sectors at the EAC Secretariat, Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana, for the EAC Secretary General, said that road transport was the most predominant mode of transport across the EAC region due to its affordability and flexibility.
“The automotive industry is a major industrial and economic force worldwide. It makes 60 million cars and trucks a year, and is responsible for almost half the world's consumption of oil. In addition, the industry employs 4 million people directly, and many more indirectly," Mr. Havugimana said.
Mr. Havugimana said that the EAC had made a strategic decision to invest in the motor vehicle industry as a way of diversifying the regional manufacturing base which at the moment relies heavily on raw agriculture commodities.
It is anticipated that the development of an automotive industry will create more jobs and reduce transportation costs. The industry also has the potential to contribute to foreign exchange reserves, if some of the vehicle parts currently imported are competitively produced within the EAC Region.
To reap the full benefits from the industry, it will be vital to nurture it. To do so, the EAC Secretariat has been tasked to speed up work on a comprehensive study on the bloc’s automotive industry to help decision makers plan better and put in place modalities that will support similar initiatives and promote the automotive industry.
In his remarks, Mr. Julius Kirima, the Acting Deputy Director of Industries in Kenya’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives acknowledged the generous support extended by the Japanese government through JICA to facilitate the study on the automotive industry in East Africa.
Mr. Kirima noted that the study gives ample opportunity to chat the way forward towards promotion of intellectual development, production of quality automotive products and increased employment opportunities within the region.
