From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 2:03 PM
News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
THE east African Community secretariat in Arusha last weekend released a tentative program of celebration festivities to mark the organization’s tenth year anniversary since its rebirth in 1999.
Five heads of states from the member states of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, invited dignitaries, members of the diplomat corps, senior government officials from the five countries and eminent persons from across the globe will be in attendance.
A provisional program of activities to mark the 10th anniversary, whose clamor will be on November 29, 2009, was sent to all the media houses, both electronic and print across the region as well as to the correspondents and all radio and TV stations across the globe.
The highlights of the anniversary observance will be the EAC summit at the Sheikh Amani Abeid Karume Stadium in Arusha.
IT is then that the protocol on the establishment of the EAC Common Market will be signed by the EAC Heads of State.
The signing is significant, as the process towards attainment of the Monetary Union is gathering momentum. That day, heads of states of the five EAC member states – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi –will also lay the foundation stone of the construction of the new ultra-modern EAC headquarters.
The anniversary climax will be proceeded by EAC’S 10th anniversary symposium, which will be held in Arusha on November 19-24,2009.
The symposium will bring together about 100 participants from governments, civil society, academia, business community and media in East Africa.
High level presenters will lead discussions on topics such as Pan Africanism and the challenges of EAC integration, and science and technology as strategic driver of EAC development.
Other topics are climate change and its implications on development in the EAC region; and the role of non-state actors in deepening EAC integration-all under the broad theme; ”EAC 10 YEARS of integration; One people one destiny.”
“The symposium will be an occasion for reflection, self-evaluation by others”, says the statement from Arusha based secretariat.
Proceedings of the symposium will be compiled and published in a book form.
Other key players and actors, including the EAC diplomatic missions abroad, will hold additional symposia of their own on topics of their own choice under the symposium’s broad theme.
The EAC Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency, for instance, will hold a symposium on the theme; ”Aviation-linking EAC and the world safely and efficiently”. This will be in Arusha on November 22 under the EAC 10th anniversary observance program. The inter-University Council of East Africa will also hold a separate symposium.
Winners of the inaugural East African Media Award Competition will be announced on November 20th,2009.
There will also be a special session of the East African Legislative Assembly on November 19. This session will feature debate on the achievements, challenges and prospects of the East African Community.
An EAC video documentary’s treatment and outline are being developed, including historical footage, selected project coverage, and interviews with Heads of the EAC organs and institutions and other stakeholders. The video will be ready during 2010.
A leading International broadcasting agency has also been engaged to produce a promotional and publicity video for the anniversary, that will include the main events of November 20th, 2009 for regional and worldwide dissemination.
The Ministries of EAC Affairs in the respective member states will produce and place promotional radio jingles and TV spots.
The anniversary marking 10 years since the signing of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community in November 1999,aims at recording the achievement made so far.
It will showcase the EAC, recognize the roles and contributions of the key players and actors, and broad spectrum of the stakeholders in the EAC integration process.
In this way, it will encourage them to hasten integration in the next stage the EAC is moving into.
“Observance will be an opportunity for the EAC to identify the challenges faced during the first decade of operations. There will be sharp focus on EAC operations into the second decade {2010-2020} and on how the EAC is to reinvent itself in light of new challenges ahead”, said the statement by the Arusha secretariat.
The observance is also intended to stage a celebratory moment, considering that, while the first EAC, which was established in 1967 collapsed on its 10th anniversary in 1977, the new is resurgent, enlarged and full of promise 10 years on. The EAC exudes pride, good feeling and hope among the people of East Africa.
The signing of the East African Community Common Market Protocol, will be a milestone in the concentration and actualization of the community, a regional economic unit with a population, which is close to 120 million people.
Ends.
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Subject: HEADS OF STATES FROM THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY COUNTRIES TO CONVERGE IN ARUSHA FOR THE 10TH YEAR’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF ITS REBIRTH IN 1999.