ALL SET FOR EAC HARMONIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY MEASURES IN KIGALI

An East African Community Regional Workshop on Harmonization of Food Safety Measures in Africa will take place 19-22 March 2013 at Hotel Des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda.

The workshop aims at harmonization of the food hygiene management through “Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) in Africa.

The main objective of the workshop is to facilitate the finalization of the technical details of the EAC food safety measures. An agreement is also expected to be reached during the workshop on how to implement the African Reference and Guidelines for Harmonization of the Management of the Food Hygiene in the EAC Partner States.

In addition the workshop is expected to cross-fertilize ideas with the African Union Commission and other regional economic communities (ECOWAS, COMESA) in order to domesticate and apply the Reference and Guidelines for Harmonization of the Management of the Food Hygiene in Africa.

The workshop is organized by the EAC in partnership with the European Union.

The East African Community is currently implementing its Food Security Action Plan (2011-2015) and preparing to implement the Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Protocol (SPS) that was approved by the EAC Council of Ministers and the Summit last year.  

The SPS measures as prepared by EAC are in four volumes including: SPS Volume I: Phytosanitary measures and procedures for Plants; (ii) SPS Volume II: Zoosanitary measures and procedures for Mammals, Birds & Bees; (iii) SPS Volume III: Measures and procedures for Fish and Fisheries; and (iv) SPS Draft Harmonized Food Safety Measures.

PRIVATE SECTOR CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON MOVEMENT OF SERVICES SUPPLIERS IN EAC SET FOR DAR

The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera is expected to officiate at the closing session of Regional Private Sector Consultative meeting on movement of Service Suppliers taking place from 20 to 22 March 2012, at the New Africa Hotel, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The main objective of the consultative meeting is to help the private sector understand the issues concerning movement of services suppliers under the Common Market Protocol and determine whether the regime is sufficient.

The meeting further aims to sensitize and inform service operators about services integration in the EAC and the possibilities of making the integration process meaningful to their businesses through improvements to their ability to move key personnel around EAC markets. 

The private sector will also use the meeting to present a position paper to the EAC Secretariat. The private sector position paper will outline key issues and recommendations to EAC policy makers on the issue of movement of services suppliers.

About 100 participants from private sector firms and associations active in the area of trade in services, select researchers and practitioners on trade in services and representatives from development partners are expected to attend the meeting which has been organized by the East African  Business Council (EABC) through the East African Professional Services Platform (EAPSP).