EAC EXPERTS TO POLISH PLAN FOR EMPOWERING BORDER COMMUNITIEE
Experts
from the East African Community meet next week in Bujumbura, Burundi to
discuss plans to empower border communities through the modernization
of locally shared
markets.
The 18 to 20 March 2013 meeting organized in collaboration with the African Trade Policy Centre (APTC), will take place at Hotel
Safari Gate and is a follow-up on the 1st Meeting of Experts in Kigali, Rwanda held June 2011 where a proposal for a project entitled “Empowering
Border Communities through Modernization of Shared Markets” was considered.
The
Kigali meeting recommended, among others, construction of shared
markets, storage facilities, improving water and sanitation
and building feeder and access roads for border communities. Border
communities all over east Africa would also benefit from
electrification, health care centers, garbage collection posts and
police posts once the project gets off the ground.
Next
week’s meeting in Bujumbura is expected to consider and finalize the
detailed draft project report; recommend locations/sites
in the five Partner States where the proposed project facilities will be
set up; and agree on a roadmap for mobilizing resources for
implementation of the project by June 2014.
The
18-20 March experts’ meeting will then recommend to the Sectoral
Council on Gender, Youth, Children, Social Protection and Community
Development to adopt the project.
In
order to facilitate realisation of the Treaty, the EAC has put in place
institutional and policy frameworks which include, among
others, the establishment of the Common Market, the 4th EAC
Development Strategy (2011/201-2015/2016), the proposed EAC Social
Development Framework, the gender and community development framework
and its five year operational plan which include
gender, youth, children persons with disabilities, social protection and
community development.
