East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, October 1st 2019: In a bid to mop out illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the EAC region, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is emphatic that Partner States should as a matter of necessity, ratify, domesticate and operationalize the Nairobi Protocol and the Arms Trade Treaty. Failure to do so, creates a lacuna and opens up avenues for the weapons to get in to the wrong hands including that of terrorist networks. The Assembly is further calling for a regional legislative framework to address the problem of proliferation of small arms. Today, the Assembly adopted the report of the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolutions on the Oversight Activity on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the EAC region. The oversight activity was carried out in the region on August 25-28th, 2019, in collaboration with the International Committee on the Red Cross (ICRC).
The report presented to the House yesterday by the Chair of the RACR, Hon Victor Burikukiye, further urges the Assembly to recommend to the EAC Council of Ministers as a matter of priority, to ensure the process of marking and registering the firearms and light weapons is prioritized to enhance the fight against transboundary crime.
REPORT OF THE EAC HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE ON TRADE INTEGRATION HELD AT THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL, NAIROBI FROM THE 25TH TO 27TH SEPTEMBER, 2019
a) Introduction
1. The conference was held to commemorate 20 years of the East African Community and 15 years of the East African Customs Union. The overarching goal of the conference was to have an open, honest and critical self-examination as a region, with regard to what has been achieved, what has worked and what needs to be done to move the regional integration forward as well as improving the EAC trade policy and other instruments. The outputs of the conference are key to making EAC an attractive investment bloc, boost industrialization, infrastructure development as well as embracing emerging technologies for economic development. The future of the EAC can only be assured if there is continued support by all Partner States, both at policy formulation and implementation levels.
East African Community Secretariat, 26thSeptember, 2019: Nairobi: The East African Community High Level Trade Integration Conference themed “Enhancing Trade Integration in the East African Community” kicked off Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Addressing the participants, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for EAC and Regional Development, Mr. Adan Mohamed, said the region had made tremendous progress in the realm of trade facilitation including the transformation of Customs processes, the introduction of technology in driving regional business, re-orienting border operations under the coordinated border management concept, and re-engineering immigration procedures.
East African Community Secretariat, 24thSeptember, 2019: Nairobi:All is set for the High Level Trade Integration Conference that is due to take place from 25th to 27th September, 2019 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Secretary in the Ministry of EAC and Regional Development, Dr. Margret Mwakima disclosed that the conference it was anticipated that the Conference would be attended by more than 300 key players from the East African region, International and Regional Economic Communities, exhibitors, stakeholders and Government officials.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 23rd September, 2019: The13th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Agriculture and Food Security is currently underway in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Sectoral Council will run from 23rd September, 2019 to 27th September, 2019. It is composed of three sessions which are, the Session of Senior Officials which is scheduled to be held from 23rd to 25th September, 2019; the Session of Permanent/Principal/Under Secretaries slated for 26th September, 2019; and the Ministerial session on 27th September, 2019.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 19th September, 2019: The East African Community has declared Fridays as ‘Afrika Mashariki Fashion Day’ during which East Africans will wear attires manufactured in the region.
The 36th Extra-Ordinary Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) further declared the 1st Week of September an ‘Afrika Mashariki Fashion Week’ to be held annually as a Trade Fair and Exhibition of EAC designed textiles and garments.
The SCTIFI urged EAC Partner States that produce cotton to set up national cotton lint buffer stock mechanisms to ensure all year-round availability of locally produced cotton lint to spinning mills.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 18th September, 2019: The EAC Deputy Secretary General in-charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, has urged EAC Partner States to work closely with the private sector and farmers associations to curb the high incidence of pests and diseases in the region.
Hon. Bazivamo underscored the fundamental linkages between agriculture, trade and agro-industry and stressed the need to strengthen these sectors.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, September 16th 2019: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) resumes its 1st Meeting of the 3rd Session in Arusha, Tanzania, today, Monday, 16th September, 2019. The Plenary Sitting is expected to continue until October 5th, 2019.
The Assembly shall at this Sitting debate and enact the EAC Youth Council Bill, 2017, thereby befitting the youth who make a significant percentage of the populace in the EAC region a great deal. The Bill moved by Hon Susan Nakawuki, is premised on Article 120 of the EAC Treaty and seeks to implement the EAC Youth Policy 2014, which is an integral part of the 4th EAC Development Strategy 2011/2012 – 2015/2016. The Bill which sailed through the First Reading on 31st May 2017, recognises that Partner States have diverse laws and policies regarding the youth in their territories. The Bill thus seeks to harmonise the laws and regulations pertaining to youth in the Community while providing for a suitable legal framework. For the purpose, the Bill seeks to establish the East African Youth Council within the EAC to provide for the composition, objects and functions, administration, finances and to provide for other related matters.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 15th September, 2019: The EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko paid a courtesy call on the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Kenya, Hon. Monica Juma on 13th September, 2019.
During their discussion Amb. Mfumukeko briefed the Cabinet Secretary of the steady progress on the implementation of the key Protocols i.e. the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation. He outlined the key challenges which the Partner States are committed to resolve.
On her part, the Cabinet Secretary reiterated her support and Kenyans support to the integration process. She noted that the region cannot be stronger beyond EAC unless we build EAC. Amb Monica Juma emphasized on the strategic role that the EAC Secretariat is expected to play in helping EAC values and vision.
Kampala (September 14, 2019): The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit for the World Bank supported Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE II) Project, has announced the recipients of the ACE Scholarship Program for 2019. A Call for Applications for Masters Fellowships targeting female students in the nine project participating countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique and Malawi was announced in March 2019. The aim of the competitive scholarship is to enhance the participation of young African female scientists at postgraduate level, encourage regional student mobility and identify and cultivate future leaders in the region. A total of 28 fellowships were awarded for the 2018/2019 academic year.
An Independent Selection Panel nominated from members of the Regional Steering Committee (RSC) of the ACE II Project selected and recommended 32 applicants out of nearly 500 applicants for the 2019/2020 academic year. The selected candidates were found to have met all required conditions for the scholarship as specified in the Call.
