Forwarded By Leo Odera Omolo

— On Thu, 1/8/09, Magaga Alot wrote:

From: Magaga Alot
Subject: PRESS RELEASE – EAC PROSPECTS FOR 2009
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009, 1:37 AM

PRESS RELEASE

EAC SET TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY DURING 2009

– Secretary General sees bright prospects for regional organization, says 2009 will mark “ high point ” of EAC achievement and visibility –

EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Wednesday 7 January 2009: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu has said that 2009 would be a momentous year that would mark a high point of EAC achievement and visibility.

2008: EAC entered definitive phase of deepening integration

Addressing EAC staff during a special general meeting to launch the activities for the New Year, Ambassador Mwapachu reviewed EAC’s performance during the past year, 2008. He said that during the year, the EAC entered the definitive phase of deepening integration, noting that the EAC focus was on the negotiations of the Protocol on the Establishment of the EAC Common Market; and the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. He said the enactment of legislation on EAC Trade Negotiation was a major breakthrough in the longstanding search for the EAC Partner States to negotiate as a bloc in the multilateral trade fora.

The EAC participated actively in the Tripartite EAC-COMESA-SADC initiative finally hosting the first Tripartite Summit in Kampala in October. The Tripartite Summit resolved to establish a Free Trade Area, Customs Union, Common Market and eventual merger of the three regional economic communities as a major building block of the African Economic Community that is being promoted by the African Union.

The Secretary General observed that during 2008, the EAC put emphasis on regional infrastructure development. The Partner States adopted comprehensive strategic plans in the infrastructure sector, cutting across roads, railways, inland waterways, ports and harbours, energy and civil aviation. He said the strategic plans were advanced to various stages of implementation during the year, noting that construction works commenced on the Arusha- Namanga- Athi River road project as well as the Power Interconnection Project between Kenya and Tanzania at the Namanga border point.

The Secretary General said there was intensification of the private sector participation in the regional integration process during the period. The East African Business Council (EABC) demonstrated active involvement at the forefront of the operations of the EAC Customs Union and the negotiations of the Common Market. The EAC and EABC jointly held the 2nd East African Media Seminar in Dar es Salaam in April and the 1st East African Investment Conference in Kigali in June in a collaborative effort to promote East African investments and trade.

2009: holds great promise and prospects for EAC

The Secretary General said 2009 would be a year of great promise and challenges for the EAC with the significant prospects of the conclusion of the Protocol on the Establishment of the Common Market and advancing the process towards the establishment of the Monetary Union.

The Secretary General said 2009 would be a year of increased EAC visibility with the planned 10th Anniversary celebrations; and launching of the study and implementation of the five-year EAC Marketing and Publicity Strategy under the EAC Re-Branding Project. A Steering Committee has been set up to manage the Anniversary Celebrations. Preparatory work has begun for the activities, which will be spread across the region throughout the year. The activities would culminate in the concentration of weeklong events leading up to the climax of the Anniversary observance that will be staged in Arusha on 30th November 2009.

Meanwhile, some of the planned major events during 2009 are the Second EAC Investment Conference in Nairobi in June, the 3rd EAC Media Summit, the 4th EAC Petroleum Conference in Mombasa in March; the EAC/EABC Energy Conference; and the commencement of the construction works of the new EAC Headquarters building in Arusha in April.

A high Level EAC Strategy Retreat for EAC Organs and Institutions will be held in Kigali in February to identify the opportunities, challenges and prospects of the Community under the theme, “Making EAC a more Effective Institution”. The EAC would also carry out comprehensive audit of past performance, to identify implementation gaps and bottlenecks and lead to the institution of mechanism for effective co-ordination and implementation of regional projects and programmes.

The process of review of the EAC Treaty would be launched at the Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs that will be held in Mombasa on 19-24 January 2009.

At the programmatic level, ongoing projects and programmes in infrastructure development, Lake Victoria development, promotion of East Africa as a single market, investment area and tourist destination as well as projects and programmes in the social sectors would be intensified within a renewed commitment to realize and demonstrate tangible benefits of regional integration.

DIRECTORATE OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
EAC SECRETARIAT
ARUSHA
7 JANUARY 2009

– – –
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2009 08:38:19 -0800 [01/08/2009 10:38:19 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: Fw: PRESS RELEASE – EAC PROSPECTS FOR 2009