Mzalendo2015
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- Aug 14, 2012
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#COVID19: Today four Heads of States of EAC, Museveni (Uganda), Kagame (Rwanda), Salva Kiir (South Sudan) and Kenyatta (Kenya) held a Consultative meeting via video conference.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the Corona Pandemic preparedness and response in the region.
View attachment 1448253
CORONAVIRUS: East Africa leaders to harmonize sharing of virus tests
- Information sharing key during crisis such as COVID-19 pandemic, says regional bloc
Leaders from the East African region met via videoconference on Tuesday to discuss ways of bolstering the region’s fight against COVID-19.
The meeting was attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and South Sudan President Salva Kiir.
The conference chaired by Kagame, as the current chairperson of the regional bloc “agreed to adopt a harmonized system for certification and sharing of COVID-19 test results,” a communique issued at the end of the meeting reads in part.
Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli and Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza did not participate in the meeting ostensibly because they have taken a different path in their response to the novel coronavirus.
In lockdown, the EAC countries closed their land borders to incoming and outgoing traffic in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but movement of cargo trucks continues.
A recent spike in coronavirus numbers in the regional countries has been blamed on cross-border truck drivers.
Underlining the need for information sharing during crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders called for adoption of a regional digital surveillance and tracking system for drivers and crew on COVID-19 for immediate use, the communique said.
The presidents also noted that the region’s key economic sectors are experiencing a slowdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic such as agriculture, trade, manufacturing and industry, tourism, hospitality and entertainment.
This, they said, necessitates establishment of special purpose financing schemes for small and medium enterprises to cushion them from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The East African Business bloc in its April report urged governments in East Africa to earmark additional funds for the tourism sector which it said faces revenue losses of more than $5.4 billion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The leaders meanwhile stressed that partner states should prioritize regional value supply chains and support local production of essential medical products and supplies including masks, sanitizers, soaps, processed foods, ventilators as part of efforts to combat COVID-19 pandemic in the region.
Partner states, the presidents added, should facilitate farmers to continue farming activities during the pandemic and post-COVID-19 period, support agro-processing and supply chains as an import substitution measure.
The East African Community COVID-19 response plan unveiled at end of April entails scaling up sensitization programs and awareness creation on the virus while strengthening surveillance capacity at all key border points.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached more than 66,000 as of Tuesday, with more than 22,000 recoveries and 2,300 deaths, according to figures by the World Health Organization.
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HEADS OF STATE CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF THE
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
COMMUNIQUÉ
Source: COMMUNIQUÉ: HEADS OF STATE CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
- THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY HEADS OF STATE, THEIR EXCELLENCIES PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA; PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA; PRESIDENT YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA AND PRESIDENT SALVAR MARYARDIT KIIR OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN HELD A CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY HEADS OF STATES THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCE ON 12TH MAY, 2020. THE HEADS OF STATE MET IN A WARM AND CORDIAL ATMOSPHERE.
- THE HEADS OF STATE TOOK NOTE OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE REGION AND COMMENDED THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH, TRADE, TRANSPORT AND EAC AFFAIRS FOR THEIR INITIATIVE IN ADOPTING A REGIONAL APPROACH TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
- THE HEADS OF STATE RECEIVED THE REPORT OF THE JOINT MEETING OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH, TRADE, TRANSPORT AND EAC AFFAIRS ON THE EAC REGIONAL COVID-19 RESPONSE AND COMMENDED PARTNER STATES, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) AND AFRICAN CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL (ACDC) FOR THE EFFORTS BEING MADE TOWARDS ADDRESSING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND THE STEPS TAKEN TO CONTAIN THE DISEASE AND PREVENT FURTHER SPREAD IN THE EAC REGION.
- THE HEADS OF STATE DECIDED THAT PARTNER STATES ADOPT A HARMONISED SYSTEM FOR CERTIFICATION AND SHARING OF COVID-19 TEST RESULTS.
- THE HEADS OF STATE TOOK NOTE OF THE EAC REGIONAL COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN AND ITS KEY TARGETED INTERVENTIONS AND DIRECTED THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH, TRADE, TRANSPORT AND EAC AFFAIRS TO ENSURE THAT IT COMPLEMENTS THE PARTNER STATES’ NATIONAL COVID-19 RESPONSE PLANS.
- THE HEADS OF STATE NOTED THAT INFORMATION SHARING IS KEY DURING CRISIS SUCH AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND DIRECTED THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH, TRADE, TRANSPORT AND EAC AFFAIRS TO FINALISE AND ADOPT AN EAC DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE AND TRACKING SYSTEM FOR DRIVERS AND CREW ON COVID-19 FOR IMMEDIATE USE BY PARTNER STATES.
- THE HEADS OF STATE TOOK NOTE OF EFFORTS BY PARTNER STATES IN UNDERTAKING BILATERAL ENGAGEMENTS TO ADDRESS CROSS-BORDER CHALLENGES AND THE EAC SECRETARIAT MISSION THAT ASSESSED THE SITUATION ON CLEARANCE PROCESSES AT THE BORDERS DURING THE PANDEMIC.
- THE HEADS OF STATE NOTED THAT THE REGION’S KEY ECONOMIC SECTORS ARE EXPERIENCING A SLOWDOWN AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SUCH AS AGRICULTURE, TRADE, MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRY, TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT AND DIRECTED PARTNER STATES TO PRIORITIZE REGIONAL VALUE/SUPPLY CHAINS TO SUPPORT LOCAL PRODUCTION OF ESSENTIAL MEDICAL PRODUCTS AND SUPPLIES INCLUDING MASKS, SANITIZERS, SOAPS, COVERALLS, FACE SHIELDS, PROCESSED FOOD, VENTILATORS AS PART OF EFFORTS TO COMBAT COVID-19 IN THE REGION.
- THE HEADS OF STATE FURTHER DIRECTED PARTNER STATES TO FACILITATE FARMERS TO CONTINUE FARMING ACTIVITIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC AND POST COVID-19 PERIOD, SUPPORT AGRO-PROCESSING AND VALUE CHAINS AS AN IMPORT SUBSTITUTION MEASURE AND ESTABLISH SPECIAL PURPOSE FINANCING SCHEMES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, TO CUSHION THEM FROM THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
- THE HEADS OF STATE DESIGNATED THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH, TRANSPORT AND EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS TO BE THE FOCAL PERSONS FOR THE REGIONAL COVID-19 RESPONSE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE MINISTERS OF HEALTH.
- THE HEADS OF STATE DIRECTED THE FOCAL PERSONS TO IMMEDIATELY WORK ON A REGIONAL MECHANISM FOR TESTING AND CERTIFICATION OF TRUCK DRIVERS PRIOR TO THEIR DEPARTURE AT THE POINT OF ORIGIN AND EVERY TWO WEEKS, AND REPORT TO THE HEADS OF STATE.
- THE HEADS OF STATE EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION TO DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY DURING THIS PERIOD OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
- THE HEADS OF STATE AGREED TO MEET REGULARLY TO ADDRESS THE RESPONSE EFFORTS AND EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY IN THE APPLICATION OF THE EAC RULES AND PROCEDURES WHEN FACED WITH A CRISIS SUCH AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
- THEIR EXCELLENCIES PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA, PRESIDENT SALVAR MARYARDIT KIIR OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN AND PRESIDENT YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA THANKED THE CHAIR OF SUMMIT, HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA FOR CONVENING A WELL ORGANIZED MEETING IN A CORDIAL ATMOSPHERE AND REQUESTED THAT SUCH MEETINGS BE HELD REGULARLY.
- DONE BY VIDEO CONFERENCE AND DATED THIS 12th DAY OF MAY 2020.
Wapi Mhe. John Pombe Magufuli?
Je,ni kweli Chato hakuna miundombunu to facilitate Video Conference?
