The newly appointed Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) has vowed to dedicate her tenure to promoting deeper integration and development of the people of East Africa. Hon. Veronica Mueni Nduva said her key priorities would include strengthening economic integration that encourages innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation, and peace and security.
She took the oath of office on June 7th, 2024, at the State House in Juba, Republic of South Sudan, during the 23rd Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Heads of State, chaired by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairperson of the Summit and President of South Sudan.
“Your Excellencies, in promoting peace and security, a secure East Africa is the foundation upon which we can build lasting prosperity,” said the new SG.
The first female SG disclosed that advanced social development would also be a priority for her, with special attention given to empowering women and youth, who are the backbone of society. Infrastructure development will also rank highly on the incoming SG’s agenda, reiterating that the sector will require innovative financing solutions and strengthened public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Regional business leaders have underscored the importance of a vibrant private sector in promoting economic growth at regional and continental levels in Africa. The private sector accounts for 80 percent of Africa’s total production, two-thirds of investment, and three-quarters of credit, in addition to employing 90 percent of the continent’s working-age population.
The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) and other private sector logistics players have high expectations for the new SG. Through its long-term partnership with the EAC Secretariat through the Directorate of Customs and Trade, over 9,000 clearing agents have been skilled to provide quality and competitive logistics services, thereby reducing the cost and time of clearing goods in East Africa.
FEAFFA and other stakeholders in the private sector are also calling for a structured framework for dialogue between the private sector, governments, and the EAC Secretariat to ensure continuous engagement and collaboration to address issues and challenges faced by the logistics sector and the business community at large.
In a press release, the CEO of the East African Business Council (EABC), Mr. John Bosco Kalisa, called on the incoming SG to prioritize the reforms that the private sector needs in order to fully benefit from the EAC common market and double intra-EAC trade. These reforms include, but are not limited to, ensuring uniform application of the EAC common external tariff, minimizing stays of applications and country-specific duty remissions, eliminating non-trade barriers (NTBs), reexamining the 2015 EAC rules of origin, operationalizing the EAC trade remedies committee, and liberalizing air transport services, among others.
Speaking during the Summit, South Sudan’s President, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, said that the bloc was on the right track, noting that intra-regional trade currently stands at 15% and expressed hope that it would rise further with the recent admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the Community.
On his part, Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni underscored the need to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) as they distort the region’s potential for trade. 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.
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 perceptions of the 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 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.
FEAFFA is the apex body for customs clearing and forwarding agents in East Africa, representing over 2,500 clearing and forwarding firms.
The article was published by the editorial team at the FEAFFA Secretariat. For any enquiries, contact us via Email: editorial@feaffa.com/ freightlogistics@feaffa.com / onionga@feaffa.com Tel: +254733780240
