From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 12:12 PM

FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS, PEOPLE AND CROSS- BORDER TRADES IN EAST AFRICA HAS BECOME A REALITY, FOLLOWING THE SIGNING OF THE COMMON MARKET PROTOCOL.

Economic News BY Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

MINISTERS from five member states of the East African Community have completed the signing of the East African Common Market Protocol, paving the way for free movement of goods, labor, services and capital.

The protocol will, however, undergo fine-tuning by the Attorney Generals of the member states, after which it will go to the EAC Council of Ministers, and then eventually go for signatures by the Presidents at the head of states summit, scheduled for Arusha on November 20th, 2009 for final ratification and signing to become a law.

The Ministerial signing ceremony took place in the Ugandan capital, Kampala last week, after four days of grueling negotiations that were expected to have ended on September 24, but were concluded a day later to allow for ironing out of other pending contentious issues.

The protocol was signed by Kenya’s Minister for East African Community Affairs, Amason Kingi, his Ugandan counterpart, Eriya Kategaya, Burind’s Minister for the ERAC Affairs, Hafsa Mossi, Rwanda’s Justice Minister and the Attorney General, Tharsis Karugoruma, and Rwanda’s Permanent Secretary for East African Affairs, as well as Tanzanian Minister for the EAC Affairs, Dr. Diodorus Kamala.

A day before the actual signing ceremony took place, the Permanent Secretaries from the five Ministries of the EAC Affairs scrutinized and thoroughly discussed, adopted and signed the draft protocol that was later endorsed by the Ministers.

Those who also appended their signatures to the Protocol included Permanent Secretaries in the Uganda’s ministry for Trade, Edith Mwanje, Kenya’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of East African Affairs, David Nalo, Dr Storgimenus Tax of Tanzania, Jean Rigi of Burundi, and Risonael, the Trade Permanent Secretary, and Antoine Rovenmbaba of Rwanda.

The signing was followed by a one day meeting last Friday of the multi-sectoral Council meeting that was attended by the East Africa Community Minister and Permanent Secretaries who discussed and adopted the draft protocol before the signing.

Minister Eriya Kategaya, who opened the meeting said that the objective was the widening and deepening of co-operation in the region. “East Africa will enjoying free movement of goods, persons, labor, capital, services and the rights of establishment and residence under the Common Market“, he said, adding that the EAC has a population of 120 million people, and the East Africa integration process will grow better and stronger with time.

Talks on the common market in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi had hit a snag when Tanzania vehemently opposed proposals relating to land ownership, the right of permanent residency and travel documents. The current development means that the EAC can now proceed to the next stage of the integration process with the focus on a single market for the region.

No further details were made available to the press on how the three issues raised by Tanzania had been resolved. Earlier in September Tanzania’s Prime Minister had stated that his country would moderate its objections.

But Aloys Mutabingwa, the Deputy Secretary General of the EAC in charge of Planning and Infrastructure was quoted as having said that most of the pending issues have been finalized. ”Members reached a consensus on almost all provisions of the proposed protocol and in essence have come to the end of the negotiations”.

The Secretary-General of the EAC, Ambassador Juma V. Mwapachu said the signing of the protocol is expected to stamp out the bureaucracy associated with cross-border business and movement of people. ”Prices of goods ad services will drop and more options will be presented to the consumers in the region”, he said.

A Ugandan Minister of State for Trade Gagawala Wambuzi who represented the Trade Minister Gen. Kahindi Otafire said EAC economies will grow stronger with the new development.
Ends

leooderaomolo@ytahoo.com
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Subject: EAST AFRICA IS CLOSE TO ACHIEVING FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE,GOODS ETC