Posted in Press Release
The Danish Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania and EAC, His Excellence Einar H. Jensen today paid a courtesy call on the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko in his office at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The two officials discussed a wide range of issues geared towards taking forward and realizing the noble objective of “people-centred” regional integration. They conferred on issues pertaining to strengthening bilateral relations between EAC and Denmark; Danish support to regional integration initiatives; status of EPA negotiations; Burundi peace process; and the steps EAC was taking to strengthen operations of the Partnership Fund.
Welcoming his guest to the EAC Headquarters, the Secretary General noted the strong bond that exist between the Danish people and the East African Community. He also briefed the Danish Envoy on the reforms instituted at the EAC Organs and Institutions meant to cut on cost and improve performance, which were already showing some positive results. The Secretary General hailed the Development Partners for their growing confidence in the regional integration efforts and the EAC leadership.
On his part, His Excellence Einar H. Jensen reiterated the importance of the EAC in furthering regional integration efforts and re-affirmed the commitment of Denmark to the MoU signed between Denmark and EAC in August 2016, in which Denmark will provide additional Danish Krone (DKK) 7 million to support the regional integration agenda.
Amb. Jensen noted that long term development of each EAC economy was influenced by the success of the regional integration efforts and that individual EAC economies were too small to compete effectively in international markets.
“To sustain higher growth, they need to expand, specialize and integrate to achieve economies of scale”, reiterated Amb. Jensen, adding that “the integration process supports deregulation, harmonization of rules and regulations and reduction of non-tariff barriers. This reduces trade costs which will benefit EAC businesses as well as Danish businesses with an interest in the region”.
The Danish Envoy noted that restrictions still remain on the free movement of goods, persons, labour, capital, and services in the region and there was need for stronger coordination and cooperation between the Partner States on economic, trade and industrial policies. “EAC institutions are becoming stronger and need to be further developed, as well as substantial investments in infrastructure are needed to sustain the integration agenda”, said Amb. Jensen.
Posted in Press Release
A two-day regional consultative workshop aimed at developing a training curriculum for One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) operations in the East African Community is currently ongoing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The main objective of the consultative workshop is to create a platform of interaction at the technical level between relevant stakeholders with a view to develop a training curriculum on OSBPs to enhance and accelerate their smooth operationalization.
The workshop will also look at how best to allow the different agencies to play their roles at the OSBPs and work together.
Addressing the participants at the official opening today, the EAC Director for Infrastructure, Mr. Philip Wambugu appreciated the Germany Technical Cooperation Agency, GIZ, for facilitating the workshop. The Director also recognized that the development of OSBPs in the region was being supported by many other development partners including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Trade Mark East Africa, among others.
The EAC official informed the participants that the World Bank had carried out a comprehensive study on the cost of transit transport in the region and that study found out,, among others, that approximately 40% of the cost (financial and temporal) was attributable to the two stop border posts in the region.
Arising from the recommendations of the study, the World Bank set aside resources to undertake a pilot programme to transform selected two border posts into OSBPs. In that programme the World Bank partnered with TMEA and the results were the development of a number of the current OSBPs including Holili/Taveta, Lungalunga/Horohoro, Malaba/Malaba, Milama Hills/Kagitumba border posts, among others.
“At the same time, JICA under the TICAD programme, had commenced the development of the Rusumo/Rusumo and in collaboration with the African Development Bank, the Namanga/Namanga border posts, Nemba/Gasenyi, and Ruhwa. All these border posts comprise the many operational OSBPs in the region” disclosed Mr. Wambugu.
He informed the participants that with JICA support, the EAC developed the OSBP Law to support and anchor the operationalisation of the OSBPs in the region. That Law has since been assented to and the development of regulations and operational manuals is in the final stages. The EAC OSBP Law, which commenced operations on 1st of October, 2016, largely informed the development of the continental OSBP Sourcebook launched by the CEO of NEPAD on the side-lines of the 6th TICAD Summit in Nairobi, Kenya in August, 2016.
He said the OSBPs have or is easing border crossings and reducing dwell-times at the common borders. “This improvement, coupled with the enhancements on the vehicle load control, removal of the many illegal road blocks, the reduction of other Non-Tariff barriers, the implementation of the Single Customs Territory, and the improved road networks will certainly precipitate to the reduction of the costs of transit transport in the region, a cry that has persisted for a long time from transporters, industrialists and other business persons in the region”, reiterated the EAC official.