Rwanda Hailed on EAC Integration

Integration News Rwanda hailed on EAC integration

Amb. Valentine Rugwabiza, Minister of EAC meeting with EAC Secretary General Amb. Richard Sezibera

The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Dr Amb. Richard Sezibera Dr. Sezibera assured Minister Rugwabiza of his full support in her new assignment to accelerate and deepen EAC integration for urges other Partner States of the EAC to emulate Rwanda on implementing decisions taken at the regional level for the benefit of

East African people.

Dr. Sezibera said this while paying a courtesy call on Amb. Valentine

Rugwabiza, the Minister for

East African Community in the

Republic of Rwanda.

“Rwanda is leading other partner states when it comes to the implementation of decisions on [EAC] integration agenda and it’s a clear attestation that Rwanda is committed to the integration process,” Dr. Sezibera said.

During their discussions, Minister

Rugwabiza and Dr. Sezibera also talked about a wide range of issues all related to regional integration.

Rwanda was the first EAC partner state to align her national laws with the laws of the community and the same exercise continues. increased benefit of the people of Rwanda and the entire regional community. During the visit, it was noted that Rwanda was also spearheading the removal of the barriers with a number of roadblocks removed thus accelerating the rapid movement of goods and persons to and from the region and beyond. The officials also discussed the EAC Institutional Review exercise and emphasized the need to expedite it to ensure the smooth implementation of EAC Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union as the current institutional framework was established in 2006 for the implementation of the Customs Union.

Minister Rugwabiza and Dr. Sezibera also underscored the cardinal role of Ministers responsible for EAC affairs in the partner states in driving the EAC integration agenda with the main focus on policy and strategic matters. Their discussions further emphasized the need to facilitate implementation of the video conferencing project to reduce the number of meetings especially at expert level in order to save time and resources.

The officials also discussed the recently concluded Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU and the ongoing EAC trade arrangement negotiations such as Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the U.S., and the Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) with COMESA and SADC.

If these trade arrangements are implemented, they are expected to provide enough market for Rwandan products as well as those from other EAC partner states. During his working visit in Rwanda, the EAC Secretary General also met Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Right Hon. Anastase Murekezi.