Somali Ambassador pays courtesy call on EAC Secretary General

Posted in International Relations

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12^th November, 2018: The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to the United  Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Mohamed H. Abdi today paid a courtesy call on Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, the Secretary General of the East African Community to follow up on the Somalia's application to join the EAC bloc.

Speaking during the discussion, the EAC Secretary General thanked the Federal Republic of Somalia for their interest in joining the East African Community. He assured  Amb. Mohamed that the process is on course and the Secretariat will be sending a preliminary team to Somalia later this month  to assess the level of  readiness of Somalia as the preparation for the verification exercise team  which will be constituted by the EAC Council of Ministers.

Article 3 (3) of the EAC Treaty sets out conditions for membership; including adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice.

Others are contribution towards the strengthening of integration within the East African region; geographical proximity to and inter -dependence between it and the Partner States; establishment and maintenance of a market driven economy.                 

On his part, H.E Abdi noted that long term development of each EAC economy was influenced by the success of the regional integration efforts and that individual EAC economies are too small to compete effectively in international markets.

Present at the meeting were the EAC Deputy Secretaries General in charge Planning and Infrastructure as well as Finance and Administration , Engineer Steven Mlote, and that of  Productive and Social Sector, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, Counsel to the Community, Dr  Anthony L. Kafumbe and other officials from the EAC Secretariat.

-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

 Swedish Ambassador presents credentials to EAC Secretary General

Posted in International Relations

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9^th November, 2018: The Swedish Ambassador to Tanzania, H.E. Anders Sjöberg, today presented his credentials to the East African Community Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Welcoming the Swedish Ambassador, Amb. Mfumukeko said that the EAC was working on Trade and Investment Portals that would enable investors to access information on investment opportunities and projects online. 

Amb. Mfumukeko said that the European Union was the Number One trading partner for the EAC, and urged Sweden to support capacity building for the private sector and to link business people in Sweden and the EAC.   

Amb. Mfumukeko said the EAC was also working on the development of the financial sector and integration of capital markets in the region.

The Secretary General informed the Swedish Ambassador that work on the Constitution of the proposed East African Political Confederation had started with EAC Partner States nominating constitutional experts to the EAC Secretariat.

He said that the EAC integration process was a progressive idea which was gradually trickling down to the populace as they begin to reap the benefits.  

In his remarks, Amb. Sjöberg said that Sweden was directly supporting sexual reproductive health programmes in the EAC through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) while there was indirect support for the region’s financial markets and customs sector through a World Customs Organization project.

Amb. Sjöberg said Sweden was a keen support of free trade and export promotions worldwide since 50 per cent of the country’s GDP comes froms exports.

“70 per cent of our exports are to the European Union and 30 per cent to the rest of the world,” said Amb. Sjöberg, adding that increasing trade with neighbouring countries, eliminating Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and increasing the threshold for exports will be beneficial for all countries.

The envoy said his country’s current focus was on trade facilitation, reducing NTBs and e-commerce. Amb. Sjöberg noted that e-commerce had the potential to revolutionize trade in Africa as had been the case in Europe, North America and China.

He urged the EAC to create a conducive investment climate in the region in order to attract more investors.

-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

France accredits Envoy to EAC bloc

Posted in International Relations

East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 4^th May, 2018:

The Government of France has accredited its Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Frédéric Clavier , to also serve as Ambassador to the East African Community. His Excellency Clavier presented his accreditation letter to the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko.

Amb. Clavier informed the Secretary General that France attaches great importance to regional economic groupings such as the EAC and went on to describe the EAC as a wonderful initiative in regional integration.

“Count on France support because the goals of the Community are excellent for the prosperity of the people in the region. Regional integration initiatives take time but you need to continue so as to build a strong and powerful bloc,” said the envoy

The French envoy also commended the progress made so in the ongoing Inter-Burundi dialogue, urging that the negotiations should continue to be as inclusive as possible. 

On his part, EAC Secretary General, Amb. Mfumukeko, hailed the existing cordial relations between the EAC and the Government of France. The Secretary General welcomed the support from French Government geared towards enabling the Community to achieve its ambitious agenda.

Amb.Mfumukeko briefed the French Ambassador on the progress made by the Community on the integration journey including the implementation of the Customs Union, Common Market and East African Monetary Union protocols.

Amb Mfumukeko commended the government of France for its dedicated support to the EAC integration. Amb. Mfumukeko and H.E. Clavier deliberated on a number of areas that offer the potential for collaboration between the EAC and France including the cooperation in various sectors such as Agriculture, Energy , Environment and Climate Change.

-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

Kingdom of the Netherlands Accredits Envoy to EAC Bloc

Posted in International Relations

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 27th February, 2018:

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Republic of Tanzania and the East African Community, H.E. Amb. Jeroen Verheul, today presented his credentials to the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

Receiving the Dutch Ambassador, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko hailed the strong relations existing between the Community and Netherlands and commended the government of Netherland for its dedicated support to the EAC integration process. 

Amb. Mfumukeko informed Amb. Verhaul of the significant outcomes of the just concluded Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat and Summit which include, among others: 17 EAC Flagship Projects approved for championing, launching of the 5th EAC Development Strategy (2016/17-2020/21), validation of nine key investment priorities areas for health and implementation of new and on-going earmarked infrastructure projects in the region, progress report on the European Economic Partnership (EU-EAC EPA) negotiations, progress report on the constitution-making process for the EAC Political Confederation, and the Inter-Burundi dialogue under the Facilitator; H.E former President Benjamin Mkapa and Mediator; H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. 

The Secretary General disclosed that the Community will continue to engage with the EU on the concerns of some Partner States on the EPAs, adding that in the event that an acceptable way forward is not reached, the Community shall explore the use of variable geometry in the implementation of EPAs. 

Amb. Mfumukeko also shared the progress made by the EAC in the four pillars of integration namely the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation, adding that the Community had made great strides in the four pillars due to political goodwill by the leaders of the Partner States and support from the EU through the Partnership fund as well as other Development Partners. 

The Secretary General reaffirmed EAC’s commitment towards realizing significant achievements in trade, customs and infrastructure development. “Trade is a way to reduce conflict and unemployment hence the need to create a favorable business environment that will boost the Private Sector and attract investments within the region”, he said, noting that East Africa has an extremely high number of educated yet unemployed youth.

In his remarks, Amb. Verheul assured the Secretary General of his country’s commitment to working closely with EAC to enable the Community attain its objectives in the integration process.

The Ambassador said Netherlands was keen to share with the EAC its experiences in the European integration, adding that the EAC could learn from the EU in addressing some of the emerging challenges in the integration process.  

The Dutch envoy also commended the Facilitator and the Mediator of the Inter-Burundi dialogue for the progress made thus far, urging that the negotiations should continue to be as inclusive as possible. 

Present at the accreditation occasion were Eng. Steven Mlote, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, and; Mr. Kenneth Bagamuhunda, the Director General in charge of EAC Customs and Trade Directorate.

-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 2008:9001 Certified