EAC will be stronger, Speaker tells ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

 Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Margaret Nantongo Zziwa

The Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Margaret Nantongo Zziwa has said the EAC will become a stronger trading bloc in Africa, as consensus remains a key component in strengthening the integration process.

“The region has realized steady progress with regards free movement of goods through the Customs Union and the Common Market Protocol which we are implementing,” she said in a speech released here yesterday.

She was speaking in Port Louis, Mauritius at a three day Regional Meeting of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) joint parliamentary assembly starting Wednesday. The theme of the meeting is regional integration, infrastructure development and combating piracy
“It has not been easy.

Circumstances commonly arise and these are addressed on the basis of goodwill of the Partner States,” the EALA Speaker underlined.
She remarked that non-tariff barriers (NTBs) continued to hamper business leading to high costs of doing business.

“However, the authorities are now keen on addressing the challenges on the Northern Corridor for example and this is good for the region,” she stated.
Mauritius President Kailash Purryag reaffirmed the need for strengthening existing regional blocs, which he said were progressive.

Partnerships were the way to go, he said, reiterating that the on-going Economic Partnership Agreement discussions with the European Union (EPAs) should fully embrace the same ethos.

“We look forward to enhancing partnerships in the Post-Cotonou agreements in 2020,” the president remarked.

He however called on the European Union to abolish the sugar quota as many countries in the continent, including Mauritius, were keen to develop the sugar cane sector.

Fitz Jackson, the co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, challenged Africa to utilize the vast amount of resources to harness development.

“The eastern part of the continent (EAC included) has close to 26% of Africa’s population and the region has recently discovered oil and gas. With that kind of resources, Africa can go places”, Jackson stated.

In that meeting, Tanzania is represented by Job Ndugai, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN