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| (EAC) chairperson of the heads of State Summit Salva Kiir |
East Africa Community (EAC) chairperson of the heads of State Summit Salva Kiir, says that the bloc was on the right track noting that intra-regional trade currently stood at 15 per cent.
The South Sudan President expressed hope that it would rise further with the recent admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the Community.
He spoke during the 23rd Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Heads of State that was held virtually.
On the Monetary Union, President Kiir called for the fast-tracking of the East African Monetary Institute to provide guidance on the establishment of a single currency.
On the Political Federation, the Summit Chairperson disclosed that South Sudan would be holding consultations on the EAC Political Confederation Constitution in July 2022 and urged Partner States that have not done so to expedite the consultations.
He notied that peace and security are key to economic growth, political stability and sustainable development in East Africa.
Kiir said that it was the collective responsibility of all partner states to pursue just and equitable settlements to disputes and conflict in the region
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, underscored the need to eliminate Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) as they distort the region’s potential for trade.
President Museveni hailed South Sudan for her upcoming consultations on the Political Confederation Constitution in July and urged other countries to follow suit so that the bloc can take the integration process to a higher level.
Samia Suluhu, the President of Tanzania, urged the incoming Secretary-General to focus on improving the visibility of the EAC and addressing the lack of shared perception of benefits of integration among East Africans, adding that some East Africans were even unsure of the fruits of integration.
President Samia singled out the challenges posed by climate change and urged the new SG to promote adaptation and mitigation to reduce the adverse impact of the phenomenon on EAC economies.
She said that prioritising increased access to cleaner and affordable energy would enable the region to transition to cleaner and modern cooking solutions that would, in turn, deliver greater benefits in terms of emission reductions, forest preservation, protection of biodiversity, better health, increased productivity and gender equality.
Samia observed that youth form a critical part of the EAC population, constituting more than 70 per cent or approximately 302 million people, adding that it was crucial that young people fully participate in the integration process and exploit the opportunities arising from it.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame hailed the directive by the Summit for the convening of a retreat of the EAC Ministers of Foreign and Regional Affairs to deliberate on the Report of the Consultative Meetings by the Chairperson of the Summit on Partner States’ Relations.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said that his country would soon be sending Members of Parliament and Judges to the East African Legislative Assembly and the East African Court of Justice, respectively.
President Mohamud said that Somalia was also gearing for her integration into the Customs Union and the Common Market, the 1st and 2nd pillars of the integration process.
Also present at the meeting were: Burundi’s Vice President Prosper Bazombanza who represented President Evariste Ndayishimiye; Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, who represented President William S Ruto.
Also present were South Sudan’s Minister of EAC Affairs and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Deng Alor Kuo; East African Court of Justice (EACJ) Judge President Justice Nestor Kayobera and Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Joseph Ntakirutimana.
The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Annette Ssemuwemba, and Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors were also present.
by ANGWENYI GICHANA