East African Business Week

KAMPALA, UGANDA- East African Community (EAC) secretariat is organising a two day conference for women entrepreneurs aimed at seeking ways through which they can be supported to benefit from the regional market, an official has said.
"We are interested in supporting women entrepreneurs to fully participate and take advantage of opportunities in the EAC, that is why we are planning to hold a conference focussing on women entrepreneurship to take place in Kigali, Rwanda on August 5 and 6, 2011," said Dr. Richard Sezibera.
He said this at a meeting held in Arusha with officials of the East African Business Council (EABC) during which they agreed on framework for regular consultation that will see the private sector play a greater role in EAC integration process.
A statement issued by the EABC last week said the two institutions also agreed to hold bi-annual meetings with business community to monitor progress and discuss sticking issues regarding EAC integration process.
The two institutions would also hold a high-level business forum, as one of the activities leading up to the  EAC Heads of State Summit scheduled for November this year, where the high level public sector officials and EAC ministers would engage with private sector on key issues affecting the business environment in the region.
The forum is expected to focus on specific issues to enable policy makers take strategic decisions on how to improve the business environment in the region.
Sezibera also informed the meeting that he had requested the directorate of Customs and Trade to produce a quarterly report on the state of NTBs.
The report which will include a section on experiences from the business community will be submitted to EAC Council of Ministers and other relevant policy organs for action.
 He said he is also interested in hearing from businesses with cross-border investments about their experiences in doing business across East African Community borders.