Regional EAC symposium on bilateral trade negotiations opens in Entebbe

By Patrick Jaramogi

A regional East African Community symposium on the ongoing bilateral trade and investment negations has opened at the Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe with a call on EAC governments to “trade carefully” when negotiating.

Trade experts, Members of Parliament and Civil Society Organisation leaders from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania Rwanda and Uganda are attending the two day meeting geared towards harmonizing trade negotiations among the five EAC partner states.

With the stalling of the 2005 Doha Round, developed countries have changed their strategy of achieving free trade through multilateral negotiations.

The US and the European Union are all looking at African nations as the sole source of trade leading to mushrooming bilateral trade and investment agreements which are being championed by developed nations to advance their economic objectives.

“The trade negotiations have taken long but we need persistence so as to achieve our desired interests,” said Emmanuel Mutahunga the Principal Commercial officer in the ministry of Trade.

He highlighted the need for shaping of good national and regional policy directives.”I have not seen or heard of trade negotiations that take a short time. If there is a target met, it must be met no matter the time frame,” he said. He raised the need to be informed and make the interests clear when negotiating.

Ambassador Nathan Irumba the executive director Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiation Institute (SEATINI) noted that the current trade negotiations pose far reaching negative implications on the EAC economy including their likely effects on regional trade, integration and industrial development.

“We need to make our interests known and clear. But we also need to bare in mind that these people (US/EU) have their interests of acquiring market access,” said Irumba.

John Simbwa the Makindye East MP said it is so unfortunate that MPs are not part of the negotiation team. “The fact that MPs are not aware of such trade negotiations is reason to point out the lack of democracy in the negotiations,” said Simbwa.

Prof. Ndebesa Mwambustya, the head of Development studies at Makerere University said the role of parliament in the negotiations was necessary. “We need to press for a Negotiation Act to help us focus on our interests because it seems we are negotiating for market access more than anything else,” he said.

Okecho Lawrence from the Uganda Manufacturing Association expressed the need for benefit to the manufacturing industry.  ‘As manufacturers, will the trade negotiations help us (manufacturers) increase on our market access and trade investments?” he mused.

Jane Nalunga the SEATINI Uganda Country director said the negotiators were behaving like women.  ‘We need to be pro-active.  Women want to be approached but those who have interests engage you before they are approached. What should shape our negotiations as we go to the table?”| asked Nalunga.