EAC Secretary
General Amb Dr Richard Sezibera(L) in discussion with the Chair of the EAC
Council of Ministers Hon. Shem Bageine
A bird’s eye
view of the EAC Council of Ministers session
The 27th ordinary meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers concluded over the weekend in Arusha, Tanzania with the Ministers deliberating on a wide range of regional matters and adopting several policies and directives geared at enhancing and strengthening the regional integration and development process.
The
Meeting was chaired by Hon. Shem Bageine, Minister of State for EAC
Affairs, Republic of Uganda and Chairperson of the Council and leaders
of Delegations included Hon. Amelia
Kyambadde, MP, Uganda’s Minister of Trade; Hon. Léontine Nzeyimana,
Burundi’s Minister to the Office of the President Responsible for EAC
Affairs; Hon. Phyllis J. Kandie, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary in the
Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce & Tourism;
Hon. Jacqueline Muhongayire, Rwanda’s Minister for East African
Community Affairs; and Hon. Samuel J. Sitta, MP, Tanzania’s Minister for
East African Cooperation.
In
attendance were several Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of EAC
Organs and Institutions, EAC Observer Organizations as well as officials
from the EAC Secretariat.
The
Chairperson of the Council reiterated the collective need to focus on
the greater interests of the East African Community, as the Council
seeks to surmount any challenges before
it. He said the Community was now a bigger economic and political
entity with enormous potential for enhanced leverage in regional and
international affairs, if it acts as a bloc.
“As
the EAC moves to the next critical levels of integration, Partner
States will, more than ever before, be called upon to commit the
requisite resources and political will for the
attainment of the Common Market, the Monetary Union, and the ultimate
stage of a Political Federation” affirmed Hon. Bageine.
The
Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Dr. Richard
Sezibera commended Hon. Monique Mukaruliza, and Hon. Musa Sirma, former
Ministers of EAC in Rwanda and Kenya
respectively for their dedicated leadership and service to the Council
and the Community.
He congratulated Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, upon her appointment as the first female Executive Secretary of Southern African Development Community. He also commended Amb. George William Kayonga, and Mr. Chiboli Shakaba, former Permanent Secretaries responsible for EAC Affairs in the Republics of Rwanda and Kenya respectively, for their service to the Community.
He congratulated Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, upon her appointment as the first female Executive Secretary of Southern African Development Community. He also commended Amb. George William Kayonga, and Mr. Chiboli Shakaba, former Permanent Secretaries responsible for EAC Affairs in the Republics of Rwanda and Kenya respectively, for their service to the Community.
He
welcomed and congratulated Hon. Phyllis Kandie, Kenya’s Cabinet
Secretary in the Ministry of EAC Affairs, Commerce and Tourism; Hon.
Jacqueline Muhongayire, Minister of EAC Affairs,
Republic of Rwanda; and Hon. Johnston Busingye, Minister of Justice and
Attorney General, Republic of Rwanda.
Amb.
Sezibera pointed out that a lot of activities are being undertaken and
tremendous progress being realized in the economic, political and social
sectors during the period under
review. He noted that the integration process has proceeded very well
and many breakthroughs have been made. He wished the Session fruitful
deliberations
Some of the decisions/directives taken at the
27th Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers included:
Political Federation:
The Council directed Partner States to finalize their national consultations on the
Way Forward on the EAC Political Federation and submit their reports to the Secretary General by 31st October, 2013.
Bills
The
Council adopted the East African Community Science and Technology
Commission Bill, 2013 and the East African Community Assets and Premises
Protection Bill 2013 and refered them
to the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs for legal input.
The
Council also directed the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic
of Uganda to deposit instruments of ratification of the Protocol on the
Establishment of the Kiswahili Commission
and deposit their respective instruments of ratification with the
Secretary General by 31st December 2013.
Further, it directed the United Republic of Tanzania to ratify the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Health Research Commission and deposit the instruments of ratification with the Secretary General by 31st December 2013.
Further, it directed the United Republic of Tanzania to ratify the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Health Research Commission and deposit the instruments of ratification with the Secretary General by 31st December 2013.
Republic of South Sudan
The
Council approved the negotiations with the Republic of South Sudan to
join the East African Community; established a High Level Negotiations
Team; directed Partner States to nominate
three (3) Members to the High Level Negotiation Team by 30th September
2013; and directed the Secretariat to thereafter convene a meeting of
High Level Negotiation Team to start the negotiations with the Republic
of South Sudan by 15th
October 2013.
Federal Republic of Somalia
The
Council approved the verification programme for the application of the
Federal Republic of Somalia to join the East African Community and
established a Verification Committee
composed of three (3) Experts from each Partner State to undertake the
verification exercise and three (3) Experts from the Secretariat to
facilitate the exercise scheduled for December 2013 - August 2014.
The Council also directed Partner States to nominate experts by 31st October, 2013 to participate in the verification of the application of the Federal Republic of Somalia
and directed the Verification
Committee to submit the report of the verification exercise to the 29th Meeting of the Council scheduled for August 2014 for consideration; and directed the Secretary General to communicate to the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia to extend appropriate security and protocol facilitation to the Verification Team while in the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Committee to submit the report of the verification exercise to the 29th Meeting of the Council scheduled for August 2014 for consideration; and directed the Secretary General to communicate to the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia to extend appropriate security and protocol facilitation to the Verification Team while in the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Key Priority Interventions to be implemented over the FY 2014/15
The Council adopted the following key priority interventions to be implemented over the FY
(a) Operationalization of the Single Customs T
(b) Implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol
(c) Implementation of the Roadmap towards the establishment of the EAC Monetary Union;
(d) Development of cross-border infrastructure with particular focus on implementing the decisions of the Summit Retreat on Infrastructure (held in November 2012);
(e) Implementation of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (COMESA- EAC--SADC);
(g) Implementation of the EAC Food Security Action Plan and Climate Change Master Plan;
(h) Sensitization of East Africans;
(i) Implementation of the EAC Strategy on Regional Peace and Security; and
(j) Implementation of the activities under Political Federation for the East African Community;
(k) Revitalization of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization.
EAC Panel of Eminent Persons
The
Council adopted the Modalities for the Establishment and Functioning of
the EAC Panel of Eminent Persons and Establishment of an EAC Peace
Facility and directed Partner States
to ratify the Protocol on Peace and Security.
Executive Staff of LVFO
The
Council took note of the new appointments of Executive Staff of LVFO
namely the Mr. Geoffrey Monor, Executive Secretary and the Deputy
Secretary General Dr. Olive Mkumbo, and
commend the outgoing staff Mr. Dick Nyeko former Executive Secretary
and Mr. Mathias Wafula, former Deputy Executive Secretary for the
services rendered.
Alternative Financing Mechanisms
In
regards to Alternative Financing Mechanisms, the Council directed the
Partner States to consult further on the proposal that the budget of the
East African Community be financed
from 1% of the value of imports from outside the East African Community
and the Secretariat to develop a comprehensive paper on all other
alternative financing mechanisms for the Community and submit to the
Council for consideration.
Expulsion of Illegal immigrants from Kagera Region
The
Council directed the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of
Rwanda to urgently meet to resolve this issue; and directed the Sectoral
Council on Peace and Inter-State
Security to consider developing regional mechanisms to address future
challenges of the above nature.
Trilateral Developments
The
Council took note of the ongoing trilateral initiatives by Kenya,
Rwanda and Uganda on different matters of integration including
infrastructure, establishment of a Single Customs
Territory and the Political Federation; and requested the Chairperson of the Council to provide more information on these developments to the Council at its 28th Meeting.
Audit Commission and Audit and Risk Committee Reports
The Council received the Audit Commission Report on the East African
Community Financial Statements for the year ended 30th June
2012; and decided to table
the Audited Financial Statements of EAC Organs and Institutions to the
East African Legislative Assembly for debate and such other
consultations and action as the Assembly may deem necessary.
The Council also adopted the Report of the Audit and Risk Committee for the Financial Year 2012/2013.
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