President Museveni has underscored the need to eliminate Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) as they distort the region’s potential for trade.
He was Friday speaking during the 23rd Extraordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State, which was held virtually and chaired by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of South Sudan.
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.
“I am pleased to hear that South Sudan is planning to conduct national consultations on the political federation of the EAC. I encourage other member countries that have not yet done so to follow suit,” he noted.
South Sudan’s President, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, said that the bloc was on the right track noting that intra-regional trade currently stood at 15% and expressed hope that it would rise further with the recent admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the Community.
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.
Noting that peace and security are key to economic growth, political stability and sustainable development in East Africa, the Summit Chairperson said that it was the collective responsibility of all Partner States to pursue just and equitable settlements to disputes and conflict in the region.
Speaking at the event, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic 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.
Mama Samia 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.
Mama Samia observed that youth form a critical part of the EAC population, constituting more than 70% 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.
On his part, 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.
In his remarks, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. 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, Hon. Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, who represented H.E. President William Samoei Ruto; South Sudan’s Minister of EAC Affairs and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Hon. Deng Alor Kuo; East African Court of Justice (EACJ) Judge President, Hon. Mr. Justice Nestor Kayobera; Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Rt. Hon. Joseph Ntakirutimana; the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms. Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, and Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors.
