US Ambassador to Tanzania presents credentials to EAC Secretary General
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th February, 2021: The US Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania Donald Wright has today been accredited as the country’s representative to the East African Community.
Amb. Wright presented his letters of credence to EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Amb. Wright informed the Secretary General that the US was committed to supporting the integration process in East Africa, adding that integration was key to promoting economic growth and political stability in the region.
The US envoy disclosed that the US had advanced US$200 million in direct and complementary support to the EAC over the past five years.
He said that the new US administration was committed to multilateral engagement at the regional and international levels with the UN, AU and regional economic blocs including the EAC.
Amb. Wright said that his priorities as US Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC would include promoting health, trade and investment, democracy and good governance, and youth empowerment.
Receiving the US envoy, Amb. Mfumukeko hailed the historically strong relations between the US and EAC Partner States.
Amb. Mfumukeko singled out the US$194 million agreement between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and EAC, which monies had been used to support critical sectors such as trade, health, agriculture, environment and energy.
“At EAC, we are trying to improve livelihoods and basic needs of the population, most of whom are engaged in agriculture. I can therefore say that the USAID assistance targets key sectors within our communities,” said the SG.
Amb. Mfumukeko informed Amb. Wright of the EAC Customs Union and Common Market protocols that he said were basically aimed at promoting intra-regional trade, free movement of persons, labour, capital, services and investment in the region.
The SG further disclosed that the Community had made efforts to harmonise the financial sector in the region with the support of the World Bank principally in sectors such as banking, capital markets, trading in bonds and cross border payment systems. He said harmonisation of the financial sector was critical to the establishment of the East African Monetary Union which is expected to culminate in a single currency by the year 2024.
On the East African Political Federation, the SG said that consultations with stakeholders in Partner States for the drafting of a constitution for the transitional East African Political Confederation was already underway with each country having availed two constitutional experts.
Amb. Mfumukeko informed the US diplomat that East Africa had vast unexploited investment opportunities especially in the agro-processing industries and urged the American private sector to take advantage of these opportunities.
Also present at the ceremony was the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, the EAC Principal International Relations Officer, Ms Suma Mwakyusa, the US Liaision Officer at EAC, Ms. Beatrice Ekallam, and Mr. Phil Nervig, the Deputy Chief of the Political-Economic Section at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified
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