Bloc must benefit the people, says Jakaya Kikwete
The success of the East African Community (EAC) will depend on how the bloc is benefiting the ordinary citizens and how member countries resolved their differences, President Jakaya Kikwete said in Bujumbura on Thursday.
In his keynote The State of EAC address to the regional Parliament, he warned that many East Africans would not like to see the collapse of the regional organization as was the case in 1977.
"We don't want to see the EAC collapsing again. As leaders we must ensure the community survives," he told Eala which is currently holding its session in the Burundi capital.
He stressed that it was the responsibility of the leaders in the region to make the wananchi benefit from the regional integration failure to which they would take it as a ‘club' of the leaders.
He noted that MPs must also resolve among themselves and focus on regional integration.
"Eala members should deal with regional issues rather than each member dealing with matters of his or her respective country," President Kikwete said according to a statement issued by the the directorate of Presidential Communications.
President Kikwete was emphatic that the incremental approach of the integration process had been a great success. He said under the Customs Union, the region benefited from enhanced trade through the Common External Tariffs.
"Indeed, goods which meet the criteria of rule of origin have been moving across borders without paying taxes, however, non-tariffs barriers remain a challenge. Progress has been made but the matter has not been resolved fully yet," he added.
"Trade is now at 23 per cent over and above intra-African trade figure of 12 per cent. There has been a 300 per cent increase in the value of trade from, $2 billion in 2005 to $6 billion in 2014," he said.
These numbers, coupled with the combined EAC GDP of $110.3 billion with an average annual rate growth, of 2.6 per cent makes the region a formidable trade and economic bloc in Africa, according to President Kikwete.
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