Germany hails Partner States’ commitment to EAC Integration

Posted in Press Release

The Federal Republic of Germany has hailed the commitment of the five East African Community (EAC) Partner States to the EAC integration process.

The Deputy Director General for Sub-Saharan Africa at the German Foreign Office, Mr George Schmidt, at the same time said that Germany would continue to promote trade and development co-operation with the EAC.

Mr Schmidt disclosed that Germany’s support for regional integration was based on her post-World War II reconstruction efforts especially the benefits occasioned by closer co-operation with Europe.

“For us, regional integration was not a loss of sovereignty but the regaining of sovereignty. That is why Germans have an ease when dealing with regional integration”, said Mr Schmidt, adding for the African continent, regional integration was a good way of mitigating the artificial boundaries drawn by the European colonial powers.

Mr Schmidt observed that the EAC Partner States had a long history of integration noting that it was encouraging that the Community was actively engaging the private sector, civil society and ordinary East Africans in the integration process.

Mr Schmidt was addressing the annual meeting of political advisers for Economic Co-operation and Development at the East African Legislative Assembly plenary hall in Arusha, Tanzania. The focus of this year’s meeting was on the aspect of regional economic and political integration, especially the role of Regional Economic Communities in Africa.

Mr Schmidt led a 60-person delegation who engaged staff of the EAC on pertinent issues on regional integration in East Africa and by extension the African continent.

The Director of Infrastructure at the EAC Secretariat, Mr Philip Wambugu, who represented the Secretary General praised Germany for its assistance to the EAC dating back many years.

“The German Federal Government was the first development partner in 1997 to commit technical and financial assistance to the re-established Community and renewed integration efforts. Since then, the partnership has been growing and deepening and to date, German support in the EAC at the regional level exceeds 200 million euros in support of our integration efforts and programmes”, Mr Wambugu said.

Mr Wambugu said that the East African Monetary Union Protocol was currently under implementation with the development of supportive legislation to anchor its institutions and processes.

“We look up to German support in the implementation of the protocol given the centrality of Germany in the Euro economic zone and currency stability”, he said.

He described as extremely high the potential for economic transformation in the EAC through trade and industrialisation.

“In order to realise this potential, our Heads of State have all committed to prioritise the development of efficient and well interconnected infrastructure systems in the Community to underpin trade and industrial expansion in the region. Further, they have directed that laws and policies supportive of the foregoing developments be enacted at an expedited pace.”

Mr Wambugu said the proposed laws include business registration; regional licensing; anti-counterfeit laws; anti-corruption laws; harmonisation of internal taxes; and, business-friendly commercial laws such as in arbitration and adjudication of commercial disputes, among others.

He thanked Germany for providing substantial support for the EAC’s peace and security programmes which are aimed at establishing a firm foundation for the East African Political Federation, the ultimate stage in the integration process.

“The support on Small Arms and Light Weapons enhanced our capacities for proper management and disposal of small arms and light weapons in the region. We received arms marking equipment, collected and destroyed hundreds of tonnes of ammunition and explosive materials, carried out sensitisation seminars and workshops, and developed regional policies and strategies in this area. The region is safer thanks to the support from Germany”, he said.

16th EAC Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition ongoing in Dar

Posted in Press Release

The 16th edition of the annual EAC Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition was officially opened on Wednesday, 2nd December by the Regional Commissioner for Dar es Salaam, Mr Said Meck Sadiki, on behalf of H.E. President John Pombe Magufuli, at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In his speech, President Magufuli commended the Partner States, the EAC Secretariat, the East Africa Confederation of Informal Sector Organisations (EA-CISO) and Partners for the well-organised exhibition and for promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region.

President Magufuli urged Partner States to invest in human capital and called upon the artisans and the exhibitors to be more competitive, creative, and innovative so as to take advantage of the conducive environment prevailing in the region.

At the same occasion, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of East African Cooperation, Ms Joyce Mapunjo welcomed the exhibitors to Tanzania and noted that the annual exhibition was giving the sector the required recognition and the artisans were not afraid of the integration process.

She said the regional integration is meant for the ordinary people and they should be able to feel and enjoy its benefits and the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi exhibitions provide the perfect forum for integrating the ordinary citizens of the Community.

The Director-General of the EAC Customs and Trade Directorate, Mr Peter Kiguta informed the guests and exhibitors that the theme of the exhibition; Buy Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Products, Build East Africa, portrays the role the sector is expected to play in the regional integration as well as economic development process.

The Director-General congratulated the people of the United Republic of Tanzania for peacefully holding general elections and smooth handover of power. “Tanzania continues to be a beacon of political stability in East Africa and Africa in general and I appeal to other countries in Africa to emulate the example set out by the United Republic of Tanzania”, asserted the EAC official.

The EAC official reiterated that EAC continues to make substantial inroads in the regional integration process with the implementation of the Single Customs Territory, which has recorded reduction in the times taken to clear goods at the ports of entry as well as movement of cargo within the region.

The Director-General disclosed that the region is registering increased intra-regional trade, which has grown in more than four folds from US$ 1.6bn in 2004 to more than US$ 6bn in 2014. Tanzania’s export to the other EAC Partner States had also continued to rise.

The Chairman of the EA-CISO, Mr Josephat Rweyemamu informed the guests that the regional forum facilitates showcasing products by exposing the exhibitors to emerging technologies while at the same offering them an expanded market for their products.

He said this in turn leads to strengthening of the spirit of East African Community through increased employment opportunities and wealth creation hence contributing to poverty reduction.

At the exhibition, Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Hon. Amb. Chirau Ali Mwakwere was delighted that the quality of products had improved tremendously and can compete effectively with similar products from any part of the world.

Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Hon. Dorothy Samali Hyuha asserted that the Medium and Small Enterprise sector plays a major role in Uganda’s economy in employment creation in both rural and urban areas.

The 16th edition of the East African Community Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition is taking place from 30th November to 6th December 2015, at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Over 1,000 exhibitors are participating in the 7-day event.

In order to support promotion of the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi sector of the regional economy, the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Partner States and EA-CISO has organised the annual exhibitions since 1999. The exhibitions have proved to be strategic avenues for promoting the sector’s products, transfer of technologies, and promotion of the regional integration process.