Summary
· Uganda, one of the seven nations, wants the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) to lead the effort to lower trade obstacles
Arusha. Uganda wants stern laws enacted against barriers inhibiting
trade in the East African Community (EAC) region.
The member of the seven-nation bloc
wants the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) to spearhead the exercise.
“I urge Eala to pass laws that would
drastically reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers,” said Thomas Tayebwa, the
deputy Speaker of the Uganda Parliament.
He said during the visit to the
National Assembly in Kampala by Eala Speaker Mr Joseph Ntakirutimana that such
barriers have significantly impacted on trade.
Mr Tayebwa also called on Eala to
come up with a resolution that would compel the council to impress upon their
respective partner states to comply with the Summit directives.
One of these is a directive made in
May 2016 that established the Common Higher Education Area under the EAC Common
Market Protocol.
Earlier, Mr Ntakirutimana paid a
courtesy call on the Speaker of the Uganda Parliament Ms Anita Among where he
was told to fast-track laws that would enhance regional integration.
Eala, Ms Among argued, should
fast-track laws “that will enhance the visibility of Eala in the EAC region as
well as promote integration”.
She further noted, according to a
dispatch to The Citizen, that once the relevant laws are passed by Eala, they
should be forwarded to partner states’ parliaments for domestication.
She called on Eala, the legislative
arm of the Community, to increase its visibility by carrying out sensitisation
activities in the EAC region.
On his part, Mr Ntakirutimana,
besides calling for harmony and tolerance among its members, decried the
financial challenges affecting the regional Assembly.
He requested his counterpart to
assist him in articulating the issue among other Speakers in the region “with
the aim of harmonising the facilitation of members across the region”.
During another meeting with the
Uganda officials, the Uganda First Deputy Prime Minister responsible for EAC
Affairs Rebecca Kadaga pledged to engage the EAC Council of Ministers in
resolving crises affecting the region.
One of them is a recent failure by
Eala members, especially from the DR Congo chapter, to join other members from
across the region for an induction programme in Kampala.
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