EAC Director for trade passes on.

The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera today announced the passing on of Dr. Flora Mndeme Musonda, former Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat. Dr. Musonda passed on at around noon on Tuesday 15 October 2013 at Saint Thomas Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania.

“On behalf of the EAC Management, staff and the entire Community, I join Dr. Musonda’s family in mourning the death of one of the first Directors at the EAC Secretariat.” reads part of the Statement posted to the staff by the Secretary General.

Dr. Musonda was appointed Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat in 2005. Before joining the East African Community, Dr. Flora Musonda was a Senior Research Fellow at the reputable Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

A PhD holder, Dr. Musonda specialized in international trade, development issues and regional integration. She completed her doctorate in Sweden in 1992. She worked at the COMESA Secretariat where she coordinated a regional integration research programme. At the same time she lectured at the University of Zambia in international trade among other subjects.

In the process to revive the EAC, Dr. Musonda was part of the Team of Experts who helped mold the idea into the Treaty, which was signed in 1999. She was part of the Tanzanian Negotiating Team and from time to time she was called upon to explain some theoretical and practical issues of regional integration to the members.

She undertook a tariff harmonization study with World Bank, which helped in the negotiating efforts for the EAC.

While at the ESRF, Dr. Musonda participated in formulating the 1^st EAC Development Strategy (1997-2000) and the 2^nd EAC Development Strategy (2001-2005). These Development Strategies focused on the implementation of the Treaty, implementation of regional projects and programmes; institutional development; and, most significantly, the launching in January 2005 of the East African Community Customs Union, which is the entry point of the Community.

In 2002, the regional academicians in recognizing her work in regional integration nominated her name and she was offered a chance to be a Visiting Professor at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. While there, she wrote a book on Regional Integration Efforts in Africa with reference to the East African Community. The book is with the publishers.

She was heavily involved in many other integration studies and globalization issues and back-stopped the Ministry of Industries and Trade on trade policy issues, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Helsinki process and EAC Customs and Trade issues. She was involved in several television talk-shows about regional integration and EAC and also was a prominent figure in regional and international conferences.

At the EAC Secretariat, Dr. Musonda was in charge of the Trade Directorate that deals with Internal and External/Export promotion; WTO issues; standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing for goods and services produced and traded within the EAC; COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite; EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement; and EAC-US Trade and Investment Partnership.

She was part of the Team of Experts on the US-EAC Trade and Investment Partnership, which comprises four elements namely: a regional investment treaty; a trade facilitation agreement; trade capacity building assistance; and a commercial dialogue.

She was a strong believer in the role of trade and investment as a critical engine for broad economic growth for the EAC region.

Under her leadership, Parts F and G of the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Community Customs Union, which deals with Export Promotion Schemes and Special Economic Zones, are being implemented.  A list of harmonized Export processing Zones (EPZ) exemptions was reviewed and the EAC Council of Ministers adopted the EAC Model Export Processing Zones Operational Manual.

She was part of the WTO Trade Policy Review Team for EAC in Geneva, Switzerland in 2012 during which EAC Partner States trade and related policies were examined and evaluated with the objective of contributing to improving adherence by all Members of the WTO to rules, disciplines and commitments made under the WTO Agreements and by achieving greater transparency in, and understanding of, the trade policies and practices of WTO Members.

All WTO members commended the EAC Partner States and the EAC Secretariat for the remarkable achievement and the EAC continuous integration efforts after the last Trade Policy review held in 2006, particularly considering the global financial crisis since 2008. It was noted respective national vision plan and the EAC effort towards the single market and monetary union.

Dr. Musonda was part of the Team negotiating the establishment of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Free Trade Area (FTA) that takes into account EAC interests in accordance with the decision of the 2^nd COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Summit of Heads of State. 

Dr. Musonda was also part of the EAC Experts on the EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations.

Dr. Musonda played a critical role in the establishment of the EAC–US Commercial Dialogue. The Commercial Dialogue is a consultative mechanism for a private – public sector dialogue on commerce between the EAC and the US through which both Parties will work to advance private sector priorities that would strengthen their trade and investment relationship.

Indeed, a meeting of the EAC and US Technical Officials was held from 17^th to 20^th April 2013 in Arusha where both Parties discussed each of the four elements of the Partnership. Both Parties agreed to share information on investment regimes and on trade facilitation.

     The late Dr. Flora Mndeme Musonda, former Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat.

2nd EAC Secretary General’s Forum for private sector, Civil Society & other interest groups Kicks-off in Nairobi.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Hon.Phyllis Kandie has underscored the importance of holding regular dialogue with private sector ,civil society and other interest groups  in order to get their views and expectations on the various stages of  regional integration.

Successful integration, Hon. Kandie said, presumes solid support by the citizens of the participating partner states.  “Such support is based on the availability of full and complete information on all areas of integration. Lack of such information  often undermines the good policy intentions,” she said 7th October, 2013 when opening the 2nd EAC Secretary General’s Consultative Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.

Hon.Kandie noted that the EAC is now recognized as one of the fastest growing economies in the world due to the strong intra-EAC trade, adding that the bloc was now working on developing legal binding mechanisms.

In his key note remarks, the EAC Secretary General Amb Richard Sezibera challenged the civil society and private sector to strengthen cross-border alliances and networks with like-minded organizations in order to fulfill the collective mission of building a unified and prosperous East Africa.

“Our collective sense of mission should be to work towards a fully integrated East Africa with all East Africans living in harmony with each other, an East Africa whose overriding agenda is the improvement of the living conditions of its people, ”Amb. Sezibera told about 150 attentive delegates.

He also noted that there were challenges in building a united East Africa but were being managed through continued political will and the public/private sector support in the region.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Jesca Eriyo, commended the efforts made by the private sector, civil society and other interest  groups to push the integration agenda.

She added that successful regional integration would require solid support by the citizens of the participating states. The EAC-SG’s Consultative Dialogue Framework(EAC-SGCDF) provides platform for regular dialogue between the EAC Secretary General and the private sector ,civil society and other interest groups on how to improve the EAC integration process for the faster development of the region and mutual benefit of the EAC citizens.

The forum aims at increasing the participation of the private sector, civil society and other interest groups in EAC policy formulation and decision-making processes. As a result of such forums, it is expected that citizens of the Community will achieve a higher level of awareness on matters of regional integration and increasingly take ownership of the process.

The theme for the meeting is: “The EAC We Want.”

The forum is attended by about 150 representatives of the governments of EAC partner states, private sector, civil society, academia, members of the East African Legislative Assembly, judges of the East African Court of Justice, members of national parliaments, media and the EAC Secretariat, among others.

IPU Conference Commences in Geneva.

 The 129^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) commenced today at the Centre International de Conferences de Geneve (CICG). The three day Assembly brings together nearly 600 MPs from 129 countries in discussing socio-economic matters relevant to Member States.

In the opening remarks, the President of the IPU, Hon. Abdelwahed Radi said his organisation would revise the statutes and rules to enhance its efficiencies in a bid to render better services to the Member States.  The President maintained that IPU was committed to implementing the new Strategic Plan (2012-17) which inter alia envisages three thematic themes; Better Parliaments and stronger democracies, enhanced international involvement of Parliaments and the IPU as a more effective instrument of Parliamentary Co-operation.

The IPU boss said that more work was necessary to refine democracy and the reforms in various matters taking place in the Member States.  The IPU, he noted, would adopt a gender mainstreaming policy and also invite a new forum of young Parliamentarians to its fold. 

 

Over the three day Assembly, Members’ panel discussions shall delve into three key subject areas. Ridding the world of all nuclear-weaponry as well as weapons of mass destruction shall be among the many pressing global issues that MPs will tackle.  The participants shall examine what they can do on disarmament at a time of increasing concern on the proliferation of nuclear and chemical weapon prowess and in the aftermath of the recent chemical weapon use in Syria. Their deliberations are to inform an IPU Resolution on a nuclear-free world in 2014.

Also on the agenda are deliberations on the role of Parliaments in protecting the rights of children, particularly, unaccompanied migrant children and in preventing their exploitation in situations of war and conflict.    Risk resilient development taking into consideration the demographic trends and natural constraints is another topic that shall be deliberated on.

In addition to the main topics, two other panel discussions on Internally Displaced Persons and on political party control over MPs shall take place. 

The IPU is also expected to fill vacancies arising in the Governing Council. The Governing Council will elect four members to replace Mr. K. Chshmaritian (Armenia), Mr. Nhem Thavy (Cambodia), Mr. K. Ornfjader (Sweden) and Mr. P.F. Veillon (Switzerland) whose terms end in October 2013; and one member to replace Mr. F. Kundi (Pakistan) who is no longer a Member of Parliament and whose term ends on October 2015.

Hon Abdelwahed Radi (Morroco) is the current President of the IPU.  The IPU has four Vice Presidents including Rt. Hon Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.EALA is represented at the 129^th IPU Assembly by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa and Members, Hon Hafsa Mossi, Hon Sarah T. Bonaya and Hon Susan Nakawuki.  

Also in attendance are Speakers from the Kenya National Assembly, Rt. Hon Justin Muturi and his counterpart, the Speaker of the Senate, Rt.Hon Ekwe Ethuro, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon Rebecca Kadaga and the Speaker of the Parliament of Tanzania, Rt. Hon Anna Makinda among others.  A number of Parliamentarians from the Partner States are also participating.

Meanwhile, the General Council is expected to approve the re-admission of the Parliament of Somalia as a Member of the IPU. If approved, the Assembly shall also consider a proposal to waver the arrears accumulated by the Parliament towards the IPU before its suspension from the Union in 2009.   Parliament of Bhutan has also made a request for admission while on the other side; Egypt shall know its fate once the Assembly pronounces itself under Article 4.2 of the Statutes of IPU.  This follows the dissolution of the Parliament of Egypt on July 3, 2013.

The IPU is the international organization of Parliaments established in 1889 under Article 1 of the Statutes of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The Union is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.

Nairobi International Trade Fair concludes
  

The Nairobi International Trade Fair, themed: ‘Enhancing Technology and Industry for Food Security and National Growth’ closed its doors today at the Jamhuri Park show grounds in Nairobi, Kenya. The seven day event was organized by the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK).

The East African Community Secretariat was among hundreds of exhibitors participating at the annual event which attracted exhibitors and show-goers from Kenya, the East African region as well as other countries including China, India and Pakistan.

Speaking at the official opening of the Fair on Wednesday 02 October 2013, President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta encouraged Kenyan participants to embrace the opportunities offered by the event to learn more and take their agribusiness enterprises to the next level. “The Trade Fair has certainly grown in stature, improved its standard and became a world-class agriculture and trade exposition,” he added.

President Kenyatta asserted that the Nairobi International Trade Fair incorporates aspects of cross-sectoral collaboration as well as regional integration and international interaction. “It is a unique space where every participant is a beneficiary, and no one loses,” added the President.

The Head of State urged the youth to take full advantage of the opportunities in agriculture; nothing the transformation of agriculture into a purely commercial activity entails the use of technology presenting a wide array of prospects for young people.

The EAC Secretariat showcased the projects and programmes of the regional integration process and the achievements registered to date by the various Organs and institutions of the Community. The EAC stall received visitors, among them businessmen and women, professionals, academicians and students, all eager to know more about the integration process.

The Nairobi International Trade Fair is the largest Trade Fair in Kenya and the East African Region. It is a 7-day event that runs between Monday and Sunday of late September and early October every year.

Trade Fair offers opportunities for regional, continental and global exhibitors to display and demonstrate their services and products.  It also offers show goers an opportunity to meet people from different countries and backgrounds, hence creating a platform for interaction and exchanging of ideas and experiences.

 EACJ Launches Court User Guide

The East African Court of Justice officially launched its new user guide during a stakeholders’ workshop yesterday in Nairobi at Hotel La Mada which was organized by EACJ in collaboration with Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) of Lundi University, Sweden.

Ms. Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki representing the Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Kenya, Ms. Phyllis J. Kandie, during the opening of the workshop said that, the Republic of Kenya attaches great importance to awareness creation on East African Community and its benefits. She said that as a Ministry, awareness creation on EAC integration process has been identified as one of their core mandates. To this end, “I am truly honored to be associated with sensitization of stakeholders on the role of the East African Court of Justice and the launch of the new Court User Guide in Kenya.” Ms. Mwanamaka added. 

The Principal Secretary also asserted that this awareness creation is a response to the needs of East Africans in the judicial sector. She noted there were dynamic times where Citizens are litigious and from time to time find themselves in court seeking justice on several areas and hence the need to demystify the EACJ to them and also get the stakeholders on board.

“I appreciate with great humility that the Court has now moved to the next level to engage in valuable discussions with stakeholders like national Courts, members of the Bar, the office of the Directors of Public Prosecution and Attorney Generals’ office. This is an amicable way of awareness creation that the national stakeholders should at once take heed of by instituting and referring cases to EACJ. As East Africans we should be proud of our regional Court, build it and propel it to the highest level of judicial standards. I urge the stakeholders to consider nurturing the EACJ and positively grant it the respect and honor it deserves” Ms. Mwanamaka commended.

Mr. Johannes Eile, Head of Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s International Programmes Department said that the Institute initiated cooperation with the East African Court of Justice in 2003, when the Court was then in its infancy and over time, a strong relationship was established. He added that the partnership with EACJ was revitalized in 2010 to constitute the basis of long-term cooperation program between the Court and RWI supported by Swedish development cooperation, which started in 2011 running up until the end of 2015.

Mr. Johannes pointed out that, the overall objective of the cooperation is to contribute to improving access to Justice for East African citizens through the services of an effective regional Court. He added that the cooperation focuses on activities to promote EACJ to become increasingly visible in matters related to the discharge of its mandate and to have enhanced ability to incorporate human rights into its judgments and decisions.

The President of the Court, Hon. Mr. Harold R. Nsekela commended the cooperation and understanding by RWI and for their generous support to address the knowledge gap in the existence of the Court through developing The EACJ User Guide as well as other activities to promote and increase awareness of the Court. “We will therefore need the support of all stakeholders to work towards overcoming the major challenges facing the Court especially the limited jurisdiction, the ad-hoc nature of the court’s operations, limited resources and inadequate capacity addressing issues of the Court’s structure among others” said Justice Nsekela.

The workshop and launch of the EACJ User Guide was attended by EACJ Judges, Chief Justices and Attorneys General of the Partner States, EACJ Registrar, EALA Members Kenya, Chairpersons of the Media Councils, Members of the Bar Associations in the East African region, among others. 

 Group photo of the participants in the workshop.