EAC Secretary General meets incoming TradeMark East Africa CEO and his predecessor
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 16th September, 2022: The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki, on Friday met the incoming CEO of TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Mr. David Beer, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Accompanying Mr. Beer during the courtesy call on the Secretary General was the outoing TMEA CEO, Mr. Frank Matsaert.
In his remarks, Dr. Mathuki observed that TMEA had done a commendable job in supporting the integration process in East Africa particularly in infrastructure development, improving customs efficiency and capacity building in diverse sectors.
Dr. Mathuki said that TMEA had mobilised significant resources over the years to support various EAC programmes and projects.
Dr. Mathuki singled out TMEA’s support in the construction of One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) noting that OSBPs had eased cross-border trade and free movement of persons by reducing the amount of time spent by merchants and travellers at the borders.
The Secretary General informed Mr. Beer of potential areas that may require support in future including fast-tracking the integration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the newest Partner State, into the Community.
Dr. Mathuki further informed the TMEA CEO of the urgent need to build the capacity of DRC officials to ensure that they participate fully and effectively in EAC programmes and activies.
Also high on the EAC agenda is support in terms of translation and interpretation services for EAC meetings and documentation given that French and Kiswahili are also now official languages of the Community in addition to English.
On his part, Mr. Beer said that his focus would be to build on and deepen the achievements recorded by EAC during the time his predecessor has been in office.
Mr. Beer further said it was crucial to cascade the gains and successes recorded by the Community to South Sudan and DRC who the latest entrants into the EAC.
Also key according to the incoming CEO is leveraging on the existing political goodwill behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to open up the trade opportunities therein for the benefit of the seven (7) EAC Partner States.
Also present at the meeting were the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning, Infrastructure, Finance and Administration, Eng. Steven Mlote, the Director of Trade, Alhaj Rashid Kibowa, the Monetary Union Expert, Dr. Pantaleo Kessy and the Acting Director Customs, Ms. Flavia Busingye.
Also present were Ms. Monica Hangi, TMEA Country Director- Tanzania, Ms. Theresia Komba, EAC-TMEA Programme Manager, Ms. Waturi Matu, Senior Private Sector Technical Advisor to the EAC Secretary General, and other officials from the EAC Secretariat.
Notes to Editors:
TradeMark (Trade and Markets) East Africa is an aid-for-trade organisation that was established in 2010, with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. TMEA operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Union, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and United States of America.
TMEA works closely with regional intergovernmental organisations, including the African Union (AU), East Africa Community (EAC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations.
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 seven Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified