President Uhuru heads out to Tanzania for EAC Heads of State summit

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President Uhuru Kenyatta seems to be on a tight and busy schedule. The President has no time to rest as just a day after the first Global Sustainable Blue Economy Conference held in Nairobi, President Kenyatta will today leave the country for the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State summit in Arusha.

 

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The 20th Ordinary Meeting of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State is set for today, Friday, 30th November, 2018 at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) in Arusha, Tanzania. Among the items on the agenda for the Summit will be the status of ratification of various protocols, the status of resolution of long outstanding non-tariff barriers and the progress report on the adoption of Political Confederation as a Transitional Model to the East African Political Federation.

Other items on the Agenda include: the roadmap for the accelerated integration of the Republic of South Sudan into the EAC and the verification exercise for the admission of the Republic of Somalia into the Community.

 

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The Summit will also consider reports on modalities for the promotion of Motor Vehicle Assembly in East Africa aimed at reducing importation of used vehicles into the Community as well as the review of the textile and leather sector with a view to developing a strong and competitive domestic sector that gives consumers better choice than imported textile and footwear.

At their 19th Ordinary Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda on 23rd February, 2018, the Summit directed the EAC Council of Ministers to explore the possibilities of developing the automotive industry in East Africa by reducing the importation of used vehicles from outside the region and thereby make the region more competitive.

 

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The Summit had also directed the Council to make the region more competitive by prioritising the development of a competitive domestic textile and leather sector that will give East Africans a wider range of choices in terms of affordable, new and quality clothes, shoes and other leather products.

The Summit will today review progress reports by the Council of Ministers on the Summit Directive on having two Deputy Secretaries General at the Community recruited competitively on a rotational basis among the Partner States.

 

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The Summit is also expected to assent to various Bills passed by the East Legislative Assembly, namely: the EAC Polythene Materials Control Bill, 2016; the Administration of the East African Court of Justice Bill, 2018; the EAC Monetary Institute Bill, 2018, and; the EAC Customs Management (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

It will further consider the implementation status of the EAC Customs Union and Common Market Protocols in addition to the current financial status of the Community.

 

Do you think East Africa can rely on their own textile industry?

 

 

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