20th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Heads of State set for Arusha, Tanzania

Posted in Press Release

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 26^th November, 2018: The 20^th Ordinary Meeting of the Summit of the East African Community Heads of State is set for Friday, 30^th November, 2018 at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) in Arusha, Tanzania.

The 20^th Ordinary Meeting of the Summit will be preceded by the 38^th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers, which is running from 25^th to 28^th November, 2018, also in Arusha, Tanzania.

Among the items on the Provisional Agenda of the 20^th Summit of the EAC Heads of State are: the status of ratification of various protocols; the status of resolution of long outstanding non-tariff barriers, and; the progress report on the adoption of Political Confederation as a Transitional Model to the East African Political Federation.

Other items on the Agenda include: the roadmap for the accelerated integration of the Republic of South Sudan into the EAC, and; the verification exercise for the admission of the Republic of Somalia into the Community.

The Summit will also consider reports on modalities for the promotion of Motor Vehicle Assembly in East Africa aimed at reducing importation of used vehicles into the Community, and; the review of the textile and leather sector with a view to developing a strong and competitive domestic sector that gives consumers better choice than imported textile and footwear.

At their 19^th Ordinary Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda on 23^rd February, 2018, the Summit directed the EAC Council of Ministers to explore the possibilities of developing the automotive industry in East Africa by reducing the importation of used vehicles from outside the region and thereby make the region more competitive.

The Summit, at the same meeting in Kampala, directed the Council to make the region more competitive by prioritising the development of a competitive domestic textile and leather sector that will give East Africans a wider range of choices in terms of affordable, new and quality clothes, shoes and other leather products.   

The forthcoming Summit will also review progress report by the Council of Ministers on the Summit Directive on having two (2) Deputy Secretaries General at the Community recruited competitively on a rotational basis among the Partner States.

The Summit at its 19^th Ordinary Meeting held in Kampala, decided that there will only be two Deputy Secretaries General at the EAC who shall be recruited competitively on a rotational basis.

The Summit is expected to assent to various Bills passed by the East Legislative Assembly, namely: the EAC Polythene Materials Control Bill, 2016; the Administration of the East African Court of Justice Bill, 2018; the EAC Monetary Institute Bill, 2018, and; the EAC Customs Management (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The Summit will further consider the implementation status of the EAC Customs Union and Common Market Protocols in addition to the current financial status of the Community.

Media Accreditation

All Local (Tanzanian) Journalists intending to cover the 20^th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State are alerted that registration for accreditation will be done at the Regional Information Office in Arusha, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,. All Foreign Journalists seeking accreditation must register at the EAC Media Centre Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;  

The accreditation process will commence on Wednesday 28^th November 2018 at the Arusha International Conference Centre, 5^th Floor, Kilimanjaro Wing, from 09.00hrs to 18.00hrs.

-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. 

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001:2008 Certified

Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment underway in Arusha

Posted in Press Release

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 14^th November, 2018: A meeting of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) convened in accordance with the EAC Calendar of activities for the period of September-December 2018 is underway in Arusha, Tanzania.

The meeting started with the Session of Senior Officials from 12^th to 13^th November, the Session of the Coordination Committee/Permanent Secretaries’ Session on 14^th and 15^th November, and will conclude with the Ministerial Session on 16^th November, 2018.  

Addressing the opening session of the Session of Senior Officials, the Director General-Customs and Trade at the EAC Secretariat, Mr. Kenneth Bagamuhunda, reaffirmed that the foundations of the EAC were premised on trade and economic integration hence the SCTIFI is the driver of the integration process.

The DG said that the EAC was now getting to 20 years after signing the Treaty in November 1999 and coming into force, 13 years of implementing the Customs Union and eight (8) years of implementing the Common Market Protocol. He said that the year 2018 was a turning point whereby the EAC was undertaking a comprehensive review of the EAC Common External Tariff and Customs Management Act 2004.

Bagamuhunda said that despite the progress being made, a lot needs to be done in regard to Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade to move goods across borders, services and capital.

He disclosed that the EAC Competition Authority was now operational but constrained by a limited number of Staff.

The ongoing SCTIFI is considering, among other things, the status of implementation of the directives and decisions of its meeting held on 30^th May, 2018; Reports of the Sectoral Committee on Customs, Sectoral Committee on Trade, and Sectoral Committee on Investment. It is also considering the EAC Competition Authority matters.

-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. 

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001:2008 Certified