ARUSHA, TANZANIA -East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Amb. Juma Mwapachu has advised member states to issue advance notices to their citizens on the looming drought.
"I have only seen Uganda and Tanzania issuing notices in the media but others haven't done so, it is important for the people to have information about the climatic changes and the looming drought that is likely to affect the whole region," he said.
He said this at a meeting with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Committee of Ambassadors and high ranking officials of IGAD led by the Executive Secretary Mr Mahboub Maalim in Arusha
The discussions centered on areas of collaboration between EAC and IGAD concerning drought, climate change, fostering of climatic predictions and monitoring in the region.
Amb Mwapachu observed that the region was at crossroads with respect to drought, calling for necessary steps to mitigate drought, provide timely climate early warning information and sector specific products for the mitigation of the impacts of climate variability and change.
"It is imperative that we take necessary steps in climate risk reduction in the EAC and notably in Kenya and Uganda, the two partner states who are members of IGAD, where indications of a looming drought are all imminent," he explained.
Maalim noted that vast parts of Eastern Africa continued to face common challenges and remained prone to extreme climate events in effect, calling for reinforcement of collaboration between the two institutions.
He attributed recurring and severe droughts to the mismatch between issuance of alerts of extreme climate conditions and the actual notification of national emergencies by member states.
The delegation was is in Arusha to attend the 27th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum for March-May 2011 rainfall and a Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation in the Great Horn of Africa.
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The EAC Issues
Mwapachu urges EAC on drought
EAC-GIZ to train media
ARUSHA, TANZANIA- The East African Community (EAC) in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), formerly GTZ is organizing the first-ever training on Reporting on Regional Integration.
The EAC Experience will take place from 10 to 16 April 2011 at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to the EAC Head of Department of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Mr. Owora Richard Othieno, the training programme will bring together 25 journalists selected from all the EAC Partner States (five from each) working in Newspapers, Magazines, Online Publications, News Agencies, Radio and Television. The journalists will undergo a one-week intensive training on regional integration reporting drawing massively from the East African Community experience.
The programme aims at enhancing journalists' understanding of the concept of social, economic and political regional integration in general and the history, Organs and Institutions and policies of the EAC in particular thus improving the quality of reporting on EAC matters within the region.
"The EAC Secretariat definitely has a role in empowering the Media in the region so that they report or write about the integration issues from an informed position, he said..
"The programme will enable participants to exchange and share knowledge and experience as well as giving the opportunity for regional networking. We need to create that critical mass of journalists specializing in regional reporting on EAC and this is the first step in that direction" he adds.
The workshop will lay the foundation for further training and networking activities focusing on regional integration issues in East Africa.
The EAC Experience will take place from 10 to 16 April 2011 at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to the EAC Head of Department of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Mr. Owora Richard Othieno, the training programme will bring together 25 journalists selected from all the EAC Partner States (five from each) working in Newspapers, Magazines, Online Publications, News Agencies, Radio and Television. The journalists will undergo a one-week intensive training on regional integration reporting drawing massively from the East African Community experience.
The programme aims at enhancing journalists' understanding of the concept of social, economic and political regional integration in general and the history, Organs and Institutions and policies of the EAC in particular thus improving the quality of reporting on EAC matters within the region.
"The EAC Secretariat definitely has a role in empowering the Media in the region so that they report or write about the integration issues from an informed position, he said..
"The programme will enable participants to exchange and share knowledge and experience as well as giving the opportunity for regional networking. We need to create that critical mass of journalists specializing in regional reporting on EAC and this is the first step in that direction" he adds.
The workshop will lay the foundation for further training and networking activities focusing on regional integration issues in East Africa.
China advises EA on fake products
NAIROBI, KENYA- Due to the continuous blame against China that most of its exports to East Africa other African countries were fake and of low quality, China has advised these countries to take strong measures to address the situation.
Speaking during IREN Eastern Africa Media Training programme that took place in Nairobi, Kenya last week, Ambassador Liu Guangyuan, said China was fighting against fake and low quality products at home and abroad.
He said Beijing's Ministry of Commerce, together with other Ministries, recently initiated a joint campaign to fight fakes and improve the quality of Chinese products to bring back the fame of Chinese foreign trade products.
"Some fake goods did flow from China to Africa, but the fact is clear that the majority of Chinese goods are of good quality with low prices," he stressed. He said that the Chinese Government has declared war against the fakes, so their African friends could have every reason to believe that the products from China were good, safe, genuine and reliable.
Speaking during IREN Eastern Africa Media Training programme that took place in Nairobi, Kenya last week, Ambassador Liu Guangyuan, said China was fighting against fake and low quality products at home and abroad.
He said Beijing's Ministry of Commerce, together with other Ministries, recently initiated a joint campaign to fight fakes and improve the quality of Chinese products to bring back the fame of Chinese foreign trade products.
"Some fake goods did flow from China to Africa, but the fact is clear that the majority of Chinese goods are of good quality with low prices," he stressed. He said that the Chinese Government has declared war against the fakes, so their African friends could have every reason to believe that the products from China were good, safe, genuine and reliable.
EA Media chiefs meet in Nairobi
ARUSHA, TANZANIA- The fourth East African Community (EAC) summit opens this week in Nairobi, Kenya.
The summit brings together over 250 media owners, chief executives, publishers, editors and journalists in East Africa to discuss the role of the Media in the regional integration process.
The theme is "Claiming The Next Decade - An EAC Agenda".
Leading media experts and owners will make presentations to be augmented by seasoned panelists on regional integration, media and trade related issues.
At the same summit, the winners of the EAC Media Award 2010 will be announced and the EAC Media Award 2011/12 will also be launched.
Meanwhile the East African Community (EAC) symposium which was to be held on March 17-18, will now be held between April 20-29, 2011 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Expected to attend the symposium are representatives of government, Civil Society, Academia, Business Community and the Media from the EAC Partner States of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Mr. Richard Owora, the EAC spokesperson said the objectives of the second symposium is to exchange views and synthesize experiences and lessons on regional integration in East Africa, the African continent and other parts of the world.
"The Symposium will make recommendations on how to make the EAC a more efficient and effective organization and maximize its benefits,' he said.
The summit brings together over 250 media owners, chief executives, publishers, editors and journalists in East Africa to discuss the role of the Media in the regional integration process.
The theme is "Claiming The Next Decade - An EAC Agenda".
Leading media experts and owners will make presentations to be augmented by seasoned panelists on regional integration, media and trade related issues.
At the same summit, the winners of the EAC Media Award 2010 will be announced and the EAC Media Award 2011/12 will also be launched.
Meanwhile the East African Community (EAC) symposium which was to be held on March 17-18, will now be held between April 20-29, 2011 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Expected to attend the symposium are representatives of government, Civil Society, Academia, Business Community and the Media from the EAC Partner States of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Mr. Richard Owora, the EAC spokesperson said the objectives of the second symposium is to exchange views and synthesize experiences and lessons on regional integration in East Africa, the African continent and other parts of the world.
"The Symposium will make recommendations on how to make the EAC a more efficient and effective organization and maximize its benefits,' he said.
EA warned on leasing land to foreigners
ARUSHA, TANZANIA - A report adopted by the the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has recommended that the EAC member states should suspend allocating land to foreign investors if the food security situation in the region is to improve.
The committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources said that instead the EAC region should first undertake research to provide evidence on how land is acquired for lease or sold to foreigners in Partner States.
The urge to suspend land transactions comes at a time when the region is experiencing food shortages due to drought that has affected agriculture.
Already food prices have gone up throughout the region prompting the EALA to conclude that allocating land to foreigners has resulted into weak land governance in most host countries and associated problems and increased dependency and food importation,
The report said this has led to the current increased food insecurity caused from exports of food products from African countries to food deficient countries such as the Middle East.
It has led to unfavourable competition with domestic producers, rises in food prices due to competition in both product and input markets and has increased the temptation by the poor to sell their pieces and speculative buying.
The report also indicates that it has increased water source depletion that could further impact on climate resulting into climate change-related diseases and socio-economic complications - meaning that whereas production in Africa has increased processing is done abroad and hence no jobs are created.
"The partner states should also establish a regional code of ethics to inform land sale and lease transactions while safeguarding the food security concerns of the region, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the states embrace registration of land by adopting modern land tenure management information systems," said the report released recently in Arusha, Tanzania.
The members urged the governments to ensure food security of its people through a farming revolution and by converting resources on food imports as investments to develop food sovereignty.
"Governments should also undertake energy revolution by ensuring sustainable energy consumption, promote efficient vehicles and invest in efficient public transport system," they said in their recommendations.
The committee members also called on EALA to come up with regional legislations on food security and to deal with possible violations of the right to food and the revival of the production and consumption of "orphaned" food crops due to their high nutritional values and relative ease of production.
"The EAC to develop a comprehensive database of all Food Security Policies and Programs being implemented within the region, their effectiveness and relevance so as to facilitate effective policy formulation," they said.
The committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources said that instead the EAC region should first undertake research to provide evidence on how land is acquired for lease or sold to foreigners in Partner States.
The urge to suspend land transactions comes at a time when the region is experiencing food shortages due to drought that has affected agriculture.
Already food prices have gone up throughout the region prompting the EALA to conclude that allocating land to foreigners has resulted into weak land governance in most host countries and associated problems and increased dependency and food importation,
The report said this has led to the current increased food insecurity caused from exports of food products from African countries to food deficient countries such as the Middle East.
It has led to unfavourable competition with domestic producers, rises in food prices due to competition in both product and input markets and has increased the temptation by the poor to sell their pieces and speculative buying.
The report also indicates that it has increased water source depletion that could further impact on climate resulting into climate change-related diseases and socio-economic complications - meaning that whereas production in Africa has increased processing is done abroad and hence no jobs are created.
"The partner states should also establish a regional code of ethics to inform land sale and lease transactions while safeguarding the food security concerns of the region, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the states embrace registration of land by adopting modern land tenure management information systems," said the report released recently in Arusha, Tanzania.
The members urged the governments to ensure food security of its people through a farming revolution and by converting resources on food imports as investments to develop food sovereignty.
"Governments should also undertake energy revolution by ensuring sustainable energy consumption, promote efficient vehicles and invest in efficient public transport system," they said in their recommendations.
The committee members also called on EALA to come up with regional legislations on food security and to deal with possible violations of the right to food and the revival of the production and consumption of "orphaned" food crops due to their high nutritional values and relative ease of production.
"The EAC to develop a comprehensive database of all Food Security Policies and Programs being implemented within the region, their effectiveness and relevance so as to facilitate effective policy formulation," they said.
EAC plans radio station
The East African Community is planning to strengthen its publicity programme to include an EAC radio station. The Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Mr Abdirahin Abdi mentioned the plan during a session with East African Business Week’s David Muwanga, in Nairobi, Kenya.
You have just held a number sessions in Nairobi, what were the achievements?
Two Bills-the EAC Service Commission and the Election Commission Bills were not adopted since they required more input from the partner states and members.
We also received committee reports on EAC Observer Mission to Southern Sudan referendum, Report on the regional dialogue on the politics of Food Security and on mining legal frameworks in the East Africa region.
The report on mining contained case studies from Uganda and Tanzania on which we recommended that the partner states should adopt best practices when they are signing the mineral concessions.
How strong are relationships between EALA, EAC Ministries and the partner states governments?
The treaty on establishing the EAC is explicit on how we relate to each other. But we communicate to the national assemblies all the debates, bills, Acts and activities related to EALA.
It is only Rwanda and Burundi who have tried to communicate back to us what they discuss matters related to EALA.
We have set up a Speakers forum which we want to become an EAC organ. We also bring committees together that hold discussions to getheron a rotational basis.
We have also good relationships with Heads of State who have always opened our foirst sessions in each of the countries. Ministers are ex-officio of the EALA but we still need more linkages with the EAC ministries in the partner states that are responsible for more sensitization of the EAC activities in their respective countries.
How is EALA helping the business Community benefit from the Common Market protocol?.
The process for negotiating the Common Market Protocol was on By November 2009 and all partner states resolved that it becomes effective July 1, 2010.
What are shortfalls then?
The partner states agreed to amend and harmonise all the laws to conform to the Common Market Protocol.
The problem is that uptodate, no partner state has amended all the laws to conform to the protocol. Although it is a process but there are rights that East Africans could have started to enjoy from July 1st but which have not been implemented.
For example free movement of labour for professionals like lawyers, the registration of companies Act's, immigration laws among others. The partner states need to walk the talk.
The EAC integration process is presumed to be people-centred. How is EALA closely related to a common man in the village?
First of all, how many people read news papers or own and watch television? To make matters worse Members of Parliament who would create close links with the common man are interested in national politics.
But EALA has pushed programmes through members of Parliament and we have interacted with business communities who however only come out when they have a problem.
They don't need you when things are going on well and when you ask them to make comments on some bills or laws, they don't react, they ignore but when you enact it and it affects them, then you will hear them making criticisms when they refused to give comments earlier.
Have you reached the rural community to feel the impact of EALA?
We are planning to start up a East African Community (EAC) radio station. However we have also sent messages through public rallies in the partner states that have been delivered to the local people.
We also have department committees who visit specialized areas like those who visited border posts of Mutukula, Malaba in Uganda, Namanga in Tanzania, Katuna between Uganda and Rwanda and held discussions with them on the Customs Union and the Common Market protocols.
Prisons key to regional growth
ARUSHA, TANZANIA- EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Ms Beatrice Kiraso, has underscored the importance of prisons and correctional services in the deepening regional integration process, saying that the sector is critical for upholding and protection of human rights of East Africans.
"The prisons or correctional services are at the tail end of the governance, justice, law and order process, this underlines its significance in rehabilitating offenders and supporting their reintegration in society, which is not a mean task," she said when addressing senior officials of prisons and correctional services from the EAC Partner States who met in Kigali, Rwanda over the weekend.
She reminded the officers of the recently signed Common Market Protocol by the EAC Heads of State which, she said, would scale up regional socio-economic activities.
"The Common Market will facilitate free movement of persons, goods, services, capital as well as rights of residence and establishment, it is therefore necessary to put in place regional mechanisms to deal with the challenges of these freedoms,'' she emphasized.
She urged them to consolidate national and regional efforts in the promotion of human rights and good governance.
"The prisons or correctional services are at the tail end of the governance, justice, law and order process, this underlines its significance in rehabilitating offenders and supporting their reintegration in society, which is not a mean task," she said when addressing senior officials of prisons and correctional services from the EAC Partner States who met in Kigali, Rwanda over the weekend.
She reminded the officers of the recently signed Common Market Protocol by the EAC Heads of State which, she said, would scale up regional socio-economic activities.
"The Common Market will facilitate free movement of persons, goods, services, capital as well as rights of residence and establishment, it is therefore necessary to put in place regional mechanisms to deal with the challenges of these freedoms,'' she emphasized.
She urged them to consolidate national and regional efforts in the promotion of human rights and good governance.
EA borders should remain open, says protocol
ARUSHA, TANZANIA- East African Community (EAC) partner states have to effect reciprocal opening of border posts by keeping them open and manned 24 hours, according to the final Common Market protocol released recently by the EAC secretariat.
This is aimed at enabling the effective free movement of persons and labour in the region as per the Protocol on the establishment of the EAC Common Market. The instruction is embedded in part D (7) of the protocol which says that border posts of the partner states should be open and manned 24hrs.
This is part of the protocol seen by East African Business Week which is composed of 56 Articles that guide the Common Market that comes with a number of freedoms and rights that can be effectively implemented by the citizens and governments of the partner states.
In accordance with the provisions of Articles 76 and 104 of the Treaty, the protocol provides for the free movement of goods, persons, labour, services, capital and the right of residence. This means traders will not be paying taxes to the national governments or that the persons traveling to another partner state will not need official travel documents. Therefore Part C (Article 6) of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Goods states the free movement of goods between partner states shall be governed by the Customs Law of the Community.
In addition to the Customs Law, the free movement of goods is governed by the protocol on standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing and the protocols that may be concluded on sanitary, phyto-sanitary and technical barriers to trade. Article 7 of the protocol states that the partner states provide guarantee for the free movement of citizens of the other partner states within their territories.
However the free movement of persons does not exempt a person from arrest or extradition in case of a crime.
Therefore free movement of persons is subject to limitations imposed by the host partner state on grounds of public policy, security or health.
The protocol requires the partner states to establish a common standard system of issuing national identification documents to their nationals. It says that a citizen who wishes to travel to another partner state shall use a valid common standard travel document but for states that have agreed to use machine readable and electronic national identity cards as travel documents may do so.
Having acquired the valid travel document, a person can apply for employment and accept offers of employment.One can conclude contracts and take up employment in accordance with the contracts, national laws and administrative actions without any discrimination.
The person can also enjoy freedom of association, collective bargaining and enjoy the rights and benefits of social security.
The partner states are also required to harmonise labour policies, laws and programmes and should undertake to mutually recognize academic and professional qualification granted, experience obtained, requirements met, licences and certificates on other partner states.
This is aimed at enabling the effective free movement of persons and labour in the region as per the Protocol on the establishment of the EAC Common Market. The instruction is embedded in part D (7) of the protocol which says that border posts of the partner states should be open and manned 24hrs.
This is part of the protocol seen by East African Business Week which is composed of 56 Articles that guide the Common Market that comes with a number of freedoms and rights that can be effectively implemented by the citizens and governments of the partner states.
In accordance with the provisions of Articles 76 and 104 of the Treaty, the protocol provides for the free movement of goods, persons, labour, services, capital and the right of residence. This means traders will not be paying taxes to the national governments or that the persons traveling to another partner state will not need official travel documents. Therefore Part C (Article 6) of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Goods states the free movement of goods between partner states shall be governed by the Customs Law of the Community.
In addition to the Customs Law, the free movement of goods is governed by the protocol on standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing and the protocols that may be concluded on sanitary, phyto-sanitary and technical barriers to trade. Article 7 of the protocol states that the partner states provide guarantee for the free movement of citizens of the other partner states within their territories.
However the free movement of persons does not exempt a person from arrest or extradition in case of a crime.
Therefore free movement of persons is subject to limitations imposed by the host partner state on grounds of public policy, security or health.
The protocol requires the partner states to establish a common standard system of issuing national identification documents to their nationals. It says that a citizen who wishes to travel to another partner state shall use a valid common standard travel document but for states that have agreed to use machine readable and electronic national identity cards as travel documents may do so.
Having acquired the valid travel document, a person can apply for employment and accept offers of employment.One can conclude contracts and take up employment in accordance with the contracts, national laws and administrative actions without any discrimination.
The person can also enjoy freedom of association, collective bargaining and enjoy the rights and benefits of social security.
The partner states are also required to harmonise labour policies, laws and programmes and should undertake to mutually recognize academic and professional qualification granted, experience obtained, requirements met, licences and certificates on other partner states.
Region moots new strategy
ARUSHA, TANZANIA- East African Community partner states last week held a retreat which was aimed at paving a clear path on the kind of organizational system needed for the Community to move forward.
The participants drawn from all the five partner states reviewed two documents that are critical for positioning the EAC to attain higher achievements in the period ahead.
These documents, which reinforce each other, are the Draft 4th EAC Development Strategy and the EAC Institutional Review Report.
A statement issued by the EAC publicist Richard Owora said that the retreat was convened to enable Ministers and Permanent Secretaries reflect on where they want to see the EAC going in its 2nd decade of existence.
It was among others attended by Hon. Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister for EAC Affairs; several Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Abdirahin Abdi and other members of the East African Legislative Assembly.
“The Partner States of the EAC share a common purpose and destiny. The efforts of the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries should therefore, lead to the attainment of that goal for the benefit of the present and future East African generations,” he noted.
The participants drawn from all the five partner states reviewed two documents that are critical for positioning the EAC to attain higher achievements in the period ahead.
These documents, which reinforce each other, are the Draft 4th EAC Development Strategy and the EAC Institutional Review Report.
A statement issued by the EAC publicist Richard Owora said that the retreat was convened to enable Ministers and Permanent Secretaries reflect on where they want to see the EAC going in its 2nd decade of existence.
It was among others attended by Hon. Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister for EAC Affairs; several Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Abdirahin Abdi and other members of the East African Legislative Assembly.
“The Partner States of the EAC share a common purpose and destiny. The efforts of the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries should therefore, lead to the attainment of that goal for the benefit of the present and future East African generations,” he noted.
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