East African Community (EAC) Secretary General addresses East Africa Stakeholders Forum in Nairobi / Discloses establishment of Secretary General's Regional Business Forum
2/2/2012 4:30:01 PM -
ARUSHA, Tanzania, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera has disclosed the establishment of The Secretary General's Regional Business Forum aimed at, among others, ensuring a continuous dialogue with business community in East Africa to make sure the integration process works for business and trade, EAC competitiveness, and ultimately economic growth.
Amb. Sezibera, who was today addressing the East Africa Stakeholders Forum organized by Trademark East Africa at the Hotel Southern Sun in Nairobi, Kenya, said that working with Trade Mark East Africa and the East African Business Council, the EAC will be hosting a quarterly meeting of Chief Executive Officers of East African firms to dialogue on how to improve the business environment in the region.
The Secretary General also noted that the issuance of a single tourist visa, the internationalization of the East African Passport, the use of national identity cards for movement within East Africa among Partner States that have agreed to do so, plus liberalization and domestication of EAC airspace will be among the priorities for the Community this year.
He said the construction of the One Stop Border Posts and other integrative infrastructure as well as implementation of the agreement on harmonized axle load and other transport regulations including cabotage regulations were expected to significantly bring down the cost of doing business in the region to the benefit of the people of East Africa.
Amb. Sezibera noted that EAC now had an environmentally friendly industrial policy and strategy and encouraged the private sector to work with the EAC on its implementation.
“Industrialization, including agro-processing requires concerted action from governments, the private sector, and civil society.
“It also requires of us to accept change,” otherwise “East Africa must industrialize or be left at the margins of the global economy,” asserted Amb. Sezibera.
