EAC fora recommendations for expedition

DAILY NEWS Reporter

A CALL has been issued to expedite implementation of the recommendations of the East African Community (EAC) Secretary General fora.

The call was issued in Nairobi, Kenya, by the East African Business Council (EABC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms Lilian Awinja at the Sixth Annual EAC Secretary General’s Forum.

Ms Awinja said there is low level of implementation of Secretary General Forum recommendations, failure for some dialogue parties to mainstream regional dialogue committee (RDC) activities in their work plans and inadequate funding to RDC activities from the EAC Secretariat.

She also noted that there is a failure for partner states to hold national dialogue committee meetings except for Kenya, saying that those are among issues hindering positive results and accomplishments of the EAC Secretary General fora.

“Out of the previous five EAC Secretary General fora that have been held, the level of implementation of the agreed recommendations is still low as analysis indicates that only 16 per cent have been implemented and 43 per cent partly implemented,” Ms Awinja was quoted as saying by a statement made available to the ‘Daily News’.

EABC is the current chair of the RDC. The forum, themed ‘Strategising for impact: People-Centred and Market-Driven Integration’ kicked off yesterday in Kenya.

The forum aims to provide a platform for regular dialogue between the EAC Secretary General and the private sector, civil society and other interest groups on how to improve the EAC integration process.

“The forum aims to take stock of the achievements so far, evaluate the progress, identify the challenges and re-focus the implementation process of the consultative dialogue framework with a view to realising a real people centred and market driven integration,” Ms Awinja said.

Last year, EABC successfully advocated for the establishment of the consultative dialogue framework to ensure a continuous dialogue between the public sector and the non-state actors sitting on a table to discuss the EAC integration process, bring out the challenges and resolve them jointly.

That was aimed to implement Article 127(4) of the treaty establishing EAC that states that ‘The Secretary General shall provide the forum for consultations between the private sector, civil society organisations, other interest groups and appropriate institutions of the Community’.

Article 129 (2) provides for the Council of Ministers to establish modalities that would enable the business organisations or associations, professional bodies and the civil society in the Partner States to contribute effectively to the development of the Community.

“EABC has successfully spearheaded the implementation of the Consultative Dialogue Framework through holding the EAC Secretary General CEOs forum, where the Secretary General of the East African Community meets with the EAC Private Sector on a regular basis, listens and resolves their issues,” said Ms Awinja.

During the two-day forum, the EABC will discuss with Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko, Secretary General of the EAC and agree on a clear path to the realisation of the objectives of the consultative dialogue framework as envisaged under article 127(4) of the EAC Treaty.

The Consultative Dialogue Framework Forum for Private Sector, Civil Society and other interest groups in the EAC integration process was endorsed by the EAC Council of Ministers at its 26th meeting in November 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Framework is guided by the principles of cooperation for mutual benefit, trust, goodwill, active and constructive participation, inclusivity and respect for diverse views, among others.

The EABC is the regional apex body of Private Sector associations and corporates from the six EAC countries, established in 1997 to foster the interests of the Private Sector in the integration process of the EAC.

Being the representative of private sector associations in the region, EABC was granted observer status in organs and activities of the EAC.

EABC participates in various sectoral meetings, meetings of the Coordination Committee, the EAC Council of Ministers and the Summit of the EAC Heads of State.