East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 14th November, 2018: A meeting of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) convened in accordance with the EAC Calendar of activities for the period of September-December 2018 is underway in Arusha, Tanzania.
The meeting started with the Session of Senior Officials from 12th to 13th November, the Session of the Coordination Committee/Permanent Secretaries’ Session on 14th and 15th November, and will conclude with the Ministerial Session on 16th November, 2018.
Addressing the opening session of the Session of Senior Officials, the Director General-Customs and Trade at the EAC Secretariat, Mr. Kenneth Bagamuhunda, reaffirmed that the foundations of the EAC were premised on trade and economic integration hence the SCTIFI is the driver of the integration process.
The DG said that the EAC was now getting to 20 years after signing the Treaty in November 1999 and coming into force, 13 years of implementing the Customs Union and eight (8) years of implementing the Common Market Protocol. He said that the year 2018 was a turning point whereby the EAC was undertaking a comprehensive review of the EAC Common External Tariff and Customs Management Act 2004.
Bagamuhunda said that despite the progress being made, a lot needs to be done in regard to Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade to move goods across borders, services and capital.
He disclosed that the EAC Competition Authority was now operational but constrained by a limited number of Staff.
The ongoing SCTIFI is considering, among other things, the status of implementation of the directives and decisions of its meeting held on 30th May, 2018; Reports of the Sectoral Committee on Customs, Sectoral Committee on Trade, and Sectoral Committee on Investment. It is also considering the EAC Competition Authority matters.
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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.
November 2018- As many as 34 African countries refer to carbon mechanisms in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Therefore, many countries in Africa, including Eastern African countries, are interested in exploring the potential of carbon market mechanisms to reduce emissions and to implement their countries’ NDCs. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement covers several approaches for which rules, procedures and guidelines are in the final phase of being negotiated.
In this regard, the GIZ Carbon Markets Project in Uganda implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) together with the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) Kampala and the Secretariat of the East African Community (EAC) organized a Pre-COP24 Negotiators Forum for Eastern African countries (30th Oct – 1st Nov 2018, Nairobi, Kenya). The discussions focused on carbon pricing and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The workshop brought together more than 40 public and private sector participants from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Burundi, many of whom were experienced negotiators. Presenters at the workshop included Margaret Barihaihi from the NDC Partnership (NDCP) who gave insights on the support opportunities for NDC implementation; Olufunso Somorin from the African Development Bank (AfDB) who presented on the NDC Hub, an initiative by the bank to support African countries in the achievement of their NDC targets; and Amy Steen from UNFCCC, who delivered a profound analysis of Art. 6.2, the progress of Paris rulebook towards COP24 and the interlinkages of negotiation streams. Finally yet importantly, Rachel Boti-Douayoua representing the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) as a Co-Chair of the African Workgroup of Carbon Pricing, presented examples of carbon pricing approaches in African countries.
During the forum, participants had the opportunity to enhance their technical capacities on general rules, procedures and processes within UNFCCC negotiations framework as well as analyze and discuss the various textual options that are being negotiated under Art. 6.2, 6.4 and 6.8. To complement the exercise, the interlinkages of Art. 6 and Article 4 on accounting, as well as Article 13 on transparency were discussed. In addition, with the workshop introduced the position and key concerns of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on matters relating to Article 6. Furthermore, participants had the chance to get a global and regional overview on carbon pricing developments.
As a result of the forum, discussions between the countries that sparked around Article 6 will be used to inform the East African regional consultations on climate change, which are currently taking place under the auspices of the East African Community Secretariat, supported by the GIZ Carbon Markets Project. The outcome of EAC’s regional consultations will then feed into the AGN’s position paper on Article 6 and other climate change related matters during COP24 in Katowice. In relation to carbon pricing, participants showed strong interest but highlighted that there is a need to strengthen their understanding on the topic and how it can be utilized in the context of their countries.
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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.
Kigali, November 12, 2018 - The Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE II) is holding its sixth Technical and Advisory meeting at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, from November 12th to 14th, 2018. The ACE II project is strengthening 24 competitively selected Africa Centers of Excellence (ACEs) to deliver quality, market relevant post graduate education, and building collaborative research capacity in five regional priority areas of industry, agriculture, health, education and applied statistics. Sixteen universities in eight countries are participating in the ACE II Project. The five year project is financed by the World Bank to a tune of $140 million in form of credit to the eight countries which include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Burundi, which does not host any ACE, is eligible to access services offered by the ACEs in other countries and regional capacity-building activities under the project.
The first phase, ACE I, was launched in 2013 in West and Central Africa with 22 ACEs and the second phase in Eastern and Southern Africa with 24 ACEs so as to create a collaborative movement across the continent to steer higher education towards science and technology. Combined, ACE I, ACE II and ACE III projects have a total investment of $600 million.
The Minister of Education, Republic of Rwanda, Hon. Dr. Eugene Mutimura expressed his passion for the ACE II project “because of the potential benefits and outcomes we expect this project to bring to the region.”
“It would be good to think about regional integration in terms of developing human capital resource required for our region as a bloc,” said Hon. Mutimura.
Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje, the Executive Secretary of Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit of ACE II, said that the main aim of countries joining the ACE II Project was to create a conducive environment for training highly skilled and competent scientists at Masters and PhD degree levels in identified key strategic areas.
Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje, the Executive Secretary of Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit of ACE II, said that the main aim of countries joining the ACE II Project was to create a conducive environment for training highly skilled and competent scientists at Masters and PhD degree levels in identified key strategic areas.
“Trained scientists are expected to help address the huge deficit of qualified human resources in higher learning institutions in the region and provide high level expertise to our industries, private sector and public sector,” he said. He added, “I am confident that ACEs will produce great scientific results out of their research activities.” He disclosed that IUCEA and the World Bank are in the process of establishing “Regional Incubators”. “The Centers that will host the Regional incubators will be selected competitively before end of the first quarter of the year 2019,” he said.
Dr. Sajitha Bashir, the Practice Manager, Education Global Practice at the World Bank said that the World Bank adopted a regional approach for higher education in 2014 to build capacity in Science and Technology. “The regional approach was adopted by the World Bank because we felt that to really create a critical mass of high quality scientists and to be able to do applied research of the kind of quality that is required, it would be difficult to do this country by country and a regional approach would be appropriate.” Dr. Bashir noted that it is important that Africa’s young population is equipped with skills.
“By 2040 our estimation shows that about 85% of the world’s young people will be in Sub Saharan Africa. It is important that a good proportion of these young people have high quality higher education and that there is a critical mass of highly qualified scientists and engineers and technologists who can adapt, assimilate and adopt technologies and also create new technologies to address the challenges of Africa,” she said. “I hope that this project and the other initiatives will make a contribution to equipping these young people and motivating them to contributing to Africa’s transformation.”
Rwanda, the host of the meeting, has four Centers of Excellence: the African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACEESD) and the African Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT) both hosted at the College of Science & Technology, the African Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS), College of Education and the African Centre of Excellence for Data Sciences (ACE-DS), College of Business & Economics. These four Centers will get a total of $20 million over five years to implement their projects.
As with the other ACEs, the funds will be used to develop new programs, expand enrollment, provide world class research facilities, build capacity among faculty and strengthen partnerships with leading regional and global institutions as well as the private sector. For example ACEESD has established a state of the art micro-grid research laboratory and a high performance energy computing unit. The Center will also work with the private sector for curriculum development, student internships and manufacturing of components for its micro grid systems.
Over the project’s duration of five years, the 24 ACEs are expected to enroll more than 3,500 graduate students in the regional development priority areas, out of which at least 700 would be PhD students and more than 1,000 would be female. By the end of the project in 2022 it is envisioned that the centers will have developed sufficient capacity to become sustainable regional hubs for training and research in their specialized fields.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th 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.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th November, 2018: The 11th East African Community Armed Forces Field Training Exercise (FTX) codenamed “Ushirikiano Imara” 2018 was kicked off on Friday in Muheza District, Tanga, Tanzania.
The main objective of the FTX is to train the participants of the Combined Joint Task Force in planning and conducting Joint Peace Support Operations, Disaster Management, Counter-Terrorism and Counter Piracy.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Tanzanian Minister of Defence, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi said the joint exercises would enable members of the Armed Forces to share knowledge and skills on matters pertaining to defence and security.
“I am profoundly pleased that the exercise has taken on board a wide range of institutions like the Police Force, Prison Service, Immigration Department, Intelligence Services, Counter Terrorism Services, Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Community Development as well as the Red Cross apart from members of military,” said Dr. Mwinyi.
The Minister hailed the EAC Partner States for their active participation in the concept development, conference initial planning, and final planning conferences that enabled the exercise to take place.
“This is a vivid testimony that you have attached considerable value to this exercise and the entire integration within our community. Indeed, it is such commitment that is likely to propel us further in our endeavours,” added Dr.Mwinyi.
On his part, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, in a speech read on his behalf by the Chairperson of the EAC Defence Liaison Officers, Brigadier General Geoffrey Tumusiime, said that the Exercise was being conducted under the platform of the EAC Protocol on Cooperation in Defence Affairs.
“It is in line with a series of Joint Training Exercises conducted on a rotational basis in EAC Partner Statesaimed atenhancing the capabilities of the EAC Partner States’ Defence Forces, Police, Civilian Components and other key stakeholders in conducting joint operations,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
“I take this opportunity to applaud the Partner States’ Armed Forces, Police, Civilian Components and all other Stakeholders for their commitment in participating in these joint exercises. I also commend our Defence Forces for going beyond the training exercises and undertaking joint operations in various missions such as MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo, AMISON in Somaila, UNAMID in Darfur and other missions within and beyond the region, said the Secretary General
The Chief of Defence Forces in Tanzania, General Venance Mabeyo, said the contemporary political and security challenges facing the region and the word at large, calls for the regional attention to enhance the capacity to maintain peace and stability with the aim of creating conducive environment for social-economic development in the region.
“I am pleased to note that the conduct of this Exercise is yet another significant milestone towards the operationalization of our cooperation in Defence in the region,” said Gen. Mabeyo.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th 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.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th November, 2018: The Australian High Commissioner to Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, H.E. Ms Alison Chartres, today presented her credentials to the East African Community Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Welcoming the Australian High Commissioner, Amb. Mfumukeko said that the balance of trade between the EAC and Australia was largely in favour of Australia.
Amb. Mfumukeko said that EAC countries import agricultural equipment and machinery from Australia while exports to Australian consist of tea, coffee and flowers.
Amb. Mfumukeko said that the EAC has many investment opportunities including agriculture, infrastructure development, tourism and mining.
In her remarks, Ms. Chartres said that Australia was keen on free trade and was highly encouraged by the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the coming into force of the EAC Single Customs Territory (SCT).
Ms. Chartres said the AfCFTA and EAC SCT would go a long way in promoting trade in Africa and the East African region but trade with other parts of the world including Australia as well.
High Commissioner Chartres said that Australian firms had deep interest in setting up businesses in East Africa and singled out agriculture, mining and renewable energy as the most sought out sectors by Australian companies.
The High Commissioner described the EAC as a big market that would definitely be attractive to Australian investors.
She, however, urged EAC Partner States to allow for international arbitration mechanisms to provide for referral of business disputes, adding that Australian companies needed assurances that there were provisions for international arbitration in the national statutes.
“Investments need to be mutually beneficial to all parties, local and international. We therefore need stable regulatory frameworks to ensure that risks for investors were manageable,” said Ms. Chartres.
The Secretary General informed the High Commissioner that the EAC was working with the East African Business Council, the umbrella body of private sector organisations in East Africa, to improve the investment climate in the region, adding that a regional portal for investors in East Africa was also being finalized.
Amb. Mfumukeko said that the EAC had also facilitated the signing of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) to promote the free movement of professionals in the region, adding that among the professions that had signed MRAs so far were medical doctors, engineers, architects and veterinary doctors.
He said there was a firm commitment at the political level to make the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union protocols work.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th November, 2018: The East African Legal Aid Regional Network Conference organized by the East African Committee on Judicial Education (EAJEC),International Development Law Organization (IDLO), National Legal Aid Service (NLAS), and the Paralegal Support Network (PASUNE) is underway at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Among the items on the agenda are to enhance established links between civil society legal aid providers including paralegals, NGOs and state justice actors in the East Africa region as well as establishing additional measures that can ensure that the expertise of non-state actors is shared with other legal aid providers, including employees of state-run legal aid schemes and members of the legal profession.
In addition, the conference is considering whether a referral system can be developed in cooperation with non-state actors, in which some of the cases received by paralegals and NGOs can be referred to lawyers and jurists active in the field of legal aid.
The four-day conference is being coordinated through panel discussions with plenary sessions; guided discussions facilitated by experts to help identify and expose different views and levels of appreciation of thematic issues; breakout sessions on thematic areas; and informal/Side events to foster policy dialogue.
The expected outputs of the conference will include an Agreement on a mechanism to monitor and report on progress on enhancement of Access to Justice through both formal and informal Legal Aid systems in East Africa; an agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding to guide the establishment of the East Africa Regional Legal Aid Network as well as a conference report that will include an outcome document with recommendations agreed by formal and informal Justice actors on the development of state funded legal aid systems in their respective jurisdictions.
The conference is being attended by 50 participants drawn from a pool of policy makers, legal aid practitioners including representatives of the respective Ministries of Justice, the Judiciary Training Institutes in the region, the EAC Secretariat, Regional Bar Associations, Offices of Public Prosecution, Pro bono Lawyers, the East Africa Law Society, relevant UN agencies and other Development Partners.
In addition, Paralegal support networks, members of the Civil Society, law schools in Universities that operate legal aid clinics, Faith Based and Community Based Organizations from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan are also in attendance.
Notes to Editors
The conference is a follow-on to previous initiatives that lay the foundation for improved Access to Justice in the East Africa region through enhanced Legal Aid service provision.
In commitment to the advancement of the rule of law in Africa, IDLO and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania co-hosted a pan-African Conference in Dar es Salaam under the theme “ACHIEVING THE 2030 AGENDA AND AGENDA 2063: The Rule of Law as a Driver of Africa’s Sustainable Development,” which took place on 1st and 2nd June 2016. The Dar es Salaam Conference concluded with concrete suggestions for future activities, including (a) the pressing need to improve access to justice; and (b) the need to engage with informal and community justice systems as one of the main means of accessing justice in Africa. It identified legal aid as a critical component in the promotion of access to justice.
In addition, the conference builds on the outcomes of the 2nd International Conference on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems held in Argentina in November 2016. The Argentina conference deliberated on effective strategies to improve access to justice consistent with the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice
Systems (UN Principles and Guidelines), adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 67/187. The conference identified various avenues for the promotion of legal aid, including (a) the establishment of national, regional and international specialized networks of legal aid providers; (b) the exchange of information; and (c) the sharing of international best practices and expertise, as called for in May 2016 through resolution 25/2 of the 25th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ).
The conference is intended to create a regional platform for the engagement of state and non-state agencies involved in legal aid, and to encourage them to build linkages between their regional networks and the formal justice systems with a view of enhancing access to justice in Africa.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 5th November, 2018: The 1st High Level EAC Dialogue on Regional Integration themed “Harnessing Young People’s Participation in the Political Process” opened today at the East African Community (EAC) Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The dialogue aims at providing an inclusive space for young people to critically and objectively reflect on the progress made so far; challenges encountered; and prospects for enhancing meaningful youth participation in the political process within the East African Community.
Addressing the meeting, EAC Deputy Secretary General, in charge of Political Federation, Mr. Charles Njoroge, said the EAC recognizes that youth are an integral part, and also an important key resource in socio-political development of the Community. As such, the EAC has been undertaking a number of activities to promote dialogue among the youth that enhances their participation in regional integration.
He informed the meeting that the involvement of the youth in EAC affairs is provided for under Article 120 (c) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, which emphasizes the adoption of a common approach for involvement of the youth in the integration process.
Mr. Njoroge disclosed to the meeting that in a bid to strengthen youth involvement in the EAC integration processes, in July 2013 the EAC Council of Ministers adopted the EAC Youth Policy to guide the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Community's programmes that address youth issues.
“I am confident that during this two day dialogue we will reflect on opportunities for meaningful youth participation in the political processes at the individual, organizational and societal levels,’’ he added.
On his part, the Kenyan Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Dan Kazungu called for the youth to be more involved in EAC affairs in an effort to heighten their understanding and awareness of the EAC integration process.
Amb. Kazungu urged the EAC Secretariat to develop strategic programmes which will further enhance young people’s participation in the regional integration agenda.
Dr, Kirsten Focken Programme Manager for the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) said the dialogue creates a great opportunity for youth to identify the opportunities for meaningful participation and assess young people’s participation in the political processes in East Africa.
Dr. Focken called for the EAC Secretariat to engage and enable the young people of today to lead East Africa tomorrow.
The two-day Platform is being attended by over 50 East African Youth Ambassadors.
Notes to Editors
The East African Community Youth Ambassadors’ Platform (EAC-YAP) was launched during the 2nd University Students’ Debate in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. It is composed of EAC Youth Ambassadors, alumni Ambassadors, past debate participants and all other youth who are passionate about the EAC. To date, the EAC Youth Ambassadors Platform consists of 150 Members and the numbers are growing on an exponential basis.
This platform brings all the youth together with the purpose of bridging the information gap about the EAC integration and fosters their participation in accelerating the integration through knowledge and experience sharing.
To further deepen the implementation of achieving the Political Federation process in the East African Community and the need for meaningful youth participation in the political processes, the East African Community Youth Ambassadors Platform under the desk of the EAC regional coordinator of youth, the EAC Nyerere Centre for Peace Research(EAC-NCPR will convene ‘the 1st High Level EAC Youth Ambassadors Dialogue on Regional Integration’the High level dialogue will involve Youth Ambassadors consultations under the theme “Harnessing Young People’s Participation in the Political Process”. This will assess young people’s participation in the political processes in East Africa.
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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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 3rd November, 2018: Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Community Cooperation, Amb. Dr. Augustine Mahiga, has urged the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT or Mechanism) to continue to track the last fugitives from justice of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and to ensure the genocide does not happen again.
Amb. Mahiga said it was unfortunate that the genocide happened in Africa, adding that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the precursor to the Mechanism, was established in Arusha, Tanzania, to address the injustices occasioned by the genocide and ensure that it is not repeated.
Amb. Mahiga further called on the Mechanism to engage in capacity building in law, prosecution and related areas for national judiciaries and regional courts in Africa.
The Minister said that the Mechanism was a repository of information for all and a centre of excellence from which the world will continue to learn about genocide.
Amb. Mahiga was speaking at the IRMCT Grounds in Lakilaki, Arusha, during the 2nd Arusha International Organizations Open Day.
The Minister under whose docket EAC Affairs falls urged EAC Partner States to deepen cooperation in areas of good governance, human rights, democracy and social justice, adding that all protocols touching on these areas should be revisited and revitalized.
Amb. Mahiga said that issues of human rights were inseparable from the rule of law and democracy, and that this was the essence for the establishment by the African Union of the African Court for Human and Peoples Rights.
He said that there were many yawning gaps with regard to human rights in several African countries, adding that respect for human rights was a value that should be institutionalized, nurtured and passed on to future generations.
The Minister urged the media to actively carry out its role of popularizing and informing the people on what was happening in the society.
He said the government of Tanzania was cognizant of the various challenges facing the many international organizations in Arusha, adding that his Ministry would continue to work closely with them to resolve the outstanding administrative issues.
He described Arusha as the home of critical peace processes that had brought peace and stability to many countries in the region.
Speaking at the event, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko said that the EAC would continue focusing on opening up markets to enhance trade and free movement of persons, improving the business climate to enable the development and competitiveness of the private sector and make the region an attractive investment destination, in order to spur economic growth and generate additional incomes for EAC citizens.
“Going forward, the Community has already mobilized more than US$2.5 billion in funding for various development projects in the Partner States, projects that will be implemented within the next three to five years in health, education, agriculture and other sectors,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
In his remarks, Mr. Olufemi Elias, the Registrar of IRMCT and the host of the event, said that the diversity of the organizations that make up the international community in Arusha is what inspired international organizations to share a common objective to reinforce their connections with one another and even more importantly with the local community by offering insights into their mandates and functions in the spirit of partnership.
“As a concept, the International Organizations Open Day has generated a lot enthusiasm and excitement within participating organizations as well as the general public. This has inspired us as international organizations to increase interactions in order to bridge the gap between the international organizations and the local community,” said Mr. Olufemi.
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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.
