EAC Told To Speed Integration
Nov 30, 2002
<b>DAR-ES-SALAAM</b> – East African Community (EAC) member states must speed up their economic integration in order to become competitive on the global market, a senior official said on Thursday.
DAR-ES-SALAAM – East African Community (EAC) member states must speed up their economic integration in order to become competitive on the global market, a senior official said on Thursday.
EAC Secretary General Amanya Mushega told the EAC’s Council of Ministers that members states “must speed up the integration process or risk being left out†of the global economy.
“Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have a combined population of over 80 million, potentially rich in agriculture, tourism and mining, but its people are vastly impoverished,†Mushega said in a speech at Arusha in northern Tanzania.
“We are likely to find ourselves out-manoeuvred by other countries and regions, as already some countries, which some years ago were far behind us, have overtaken East Africa in terms of attractiveness to investors,†he said.
Mushega urged EAC member states to speed up creation of a customs union, which is the EAC’s Treaty entry point into realising other goals, such as a common market, common tariff and ultimately a political federation.
He said that so far “good progress†has been achieved in the formulation of the customs union protocol, whose establishment deadline is set at November 2003.
Apart from the customs protocol, efforts were also going on to harmonise policies and programmes geared at development of a vibrant and competitive regional market, Mushega said.
The EAC’s Council of Ministers was expected to consider progress achieved in the customs union, and other related issues to EAC integration, ahead of the organisation’s summit scheduled for Saturday.
AFP
Ends
EAC Secretary General Amanya Mushega told the EAC’s Council of Ministers that members states “must speed up the integration process or risk being left out†of the global economy.
“Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have a combined population of over 80 million, potentially rich in agriculture, tourism and mining, but its people are vastly impoverished,†Mushega said in a speech at Arusha in northern Tanzania.
“We are likely to find ourselves out-manoeuvred by other countries and regions, as already some countries, which some years ago were far behind us, have overtaken East Africa in terms of attractiveness to investors,†he said.
Mushega urged EAC member states to speed up creation of a customs union, which is the EAC’s Treaty entry point into realising other goals, such as a common market, common tariff and ultimately a political federation.
He said that so far “good progress†has been achieved in the formulation of the customs union protocol, whose establishment deadline is set at November 2003.
Apart from the customs protocol, efforts were also going on to harmonise policies and programmes geared at development of a vibrant and competitive regional market, Mushega said.
The EAC’s Council of Ministers was expected to consider progress achieved in the customs union, and other related issues to EAC integration, ahead of the organisation’s summit scheduled for Saturday.
AFP
Ends