Will EAC’s common market deal work?

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By: Katrina Manson

For telecoms-tycoon-turned-philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, it's one step forward, two steps back. For Benno Ndullu, governor of the central Bank of Tanzania, the whole thing is bound to stall unless problems are ironed out first.

For many Tanzanians, it's a threat to their jobs, language and prospects.

But for the leaders of the five-member East African Community (EAC), signing the common market protocol on Friday represents the future fortunes of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda combined.

Signing the document - the culmination of a relatively speedy 18 months of negotiation - will mean goods, services and the community's 126 million people can move freely across their borders, in theory at least.

Together, the five countries muster $60 billion in gross domestic product combined, and believe they can prosper better as one unit than apart.

Already they have a customs union, but by 2012 they foresee sharing a single currency and finally political federation.

"If you don't get the economic integration process going in Africa you're dead," Tim Clarke, head of delegation at the European Commission in Tanzania, told the Mo Ibrahim Foundation meeting on good governance last weekend.

There are plenty of creases to be ironed out, however - whether Rwandans should switch the side of the road they drive on to match up with the region or whether home-made goods are prepared to fight it out against cheaper imports unencumbered by import duties.

Sometimes described as a bowl of spaghetti, many countries belong to overlapping regional economic communities, which makes negotiating as a single bloc tricky.

Other contentious issues include land ownership, common external tariffs, travel documents and protection of ill-prepared local manufacturers and workers.

For EAC Secretary General, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu, who is also a Tanzanian citizen, it is important to overcome what he calls "this zero-sum mindset that these people are coming to take our jobs".

"The common market is going to send another right signal to the region in terms of enticing investors," he told the Mo Ibrahim Foundation at the weekend.

Some think the countries are nevertheless overambitious in their timescale, while also being slowed down by lengthy protocol: among their planning duties, heads of state mulled "a report on the finalisation of the development of the EAC Anthem".

But as they promote cultural cohesion with EAC football, a new EAC headquarters and yes, the new anthem, many are hoping to put the previous failure of the EAC - which ran for ten years until it was dissolved amid rancour in 1977 - far behind them.

Will it work this time?
 
1. Kwakuwa nchi hizi tano zote zinaongozwa na wafanya biashara wakubwa, (mafisadi) except may be Rwanda lakini Kenya, tanzania, Uganda in particular zinaongozwa na donors/partner/ a.k.a wakoloni...wakipenda wao hakuna kiongozi atakayekataa take my word..

2. My personal feelings is that twende haraka tena haraka sana tuwe kama one currency, free movement of labour and goods, ...tuwe na choice kubwa ya kukaa uganda au kenya au rwanda na burundi bila matatizo

3. Nakubaliana kwamba kutakuwa na operational problem for some years lakini tukiwa committed na tukiwaandaa wananchi for opportunies available in the community..waanze kuzichukua kuliko kuwaandaa kulalamika (kama wanavyofanya wanasiasa big shame) ..

4. Wakenya hawajui biashara sana ila ni wazuri katika kufanya kazi (good hard working employees) ...kuliko wa tanzania..kwa hiyo watanzania wanaweza kuwa wafanya biashara zaidi kuliko kenya we just need to prepare the wananchi tuingia haraka ..kuna fedha huko kenya na uganda..take my word...
 
I hope it works. East Africa and the Great lakes area in general is the only area in Africa which has a realistic chance of creating a peoples federation. Common language and common culture, we have it. I was happy to hear a Burundian citizen today on BBC Swahili saying Burundi does not have any industries and thus will not be able to compete in the East African federation. But the goal is not to compete, but to associate.

Tanzania has voiced similar fears in the past that Kenya is industrially developed and we cannot compete so we should wait until we catch up. But that would be never. I am sure Burundi has something to offer and so does Tanzania. We can use Kenya's advancement in industries to the advantage of all as we can use Burundi's lack of industries for the advantage of all. Kushirikiana. That is what it is all about.
 
Jamani ni uwoga unaonezwa na vyombo vya habari na wanasiasa uchwara..kenya hakuna kitu kama developed industries" hakuna kitu hebu tuambieni kiwanda gani kenya wanajivunia ndugu...we are in the same ****? corruption, greedy leaders,(afadhali hata na sisi)...kwa hiyo tushirikiane tutafaidika..

Kitu ambacho kenya wako mbele ni vile wanapendwa na wakoloni (mazungu) yamewanyonya vizuri sana mkenya wa kawaida ni poor like hell..for god sake..hivyo habari za kenya kimataifa ni kwasababu ni darling of the west..darling of the west means unanyonywa vizuri finito! (hayo mambo ya uchaguzi ya watu 1000 kufa ingefanyika nchi ya kijamaa kama yetu Tz gosh ingetangazwa vibaya over and over..sasa wanafukia fukia kwasababu ni wenzi wao lol
Bottom line: tukiungana ni kwa faida ya watu wa nchi hizi..dunia ni mali ya kila mwanadamu lazima tukubali hivyo twende mbele..natamani waanze kesho...
 
Usiseme waKenya maskini, sema baadhi yao, wengine wetu wana hela eti. EAC is a blessing, its only right that we embrace it. itakataliwa na watu wenye akili finyu, tukubalini coz its likely that it will be forcefuly pimped to us and pushed down our throats whether we like it or not. na wasilisha,wacha niendelee na Tusker yangu aise.
 
Maskini kenya ni wengi zaidi ya nchi kama Tz..kwahiyo matajiri ni matajiri sana lakini wengi wenu ni maskini sana (choka mbaya sanaaaaaaa)..comparatively na TZ...so wewe ni kundi lile la wachache.
Hata bongo wako matajiri wengi tu tunapeta mpaka kwenye hilo soko lenu kwahiyo to me EAC is a blessing..let it come soon tuwajiri...good employees.
 
Tumain, give us an inch we take a mile, si you know how it goes. kenyans are extremely hard working people. kama wadhani sisi ni wakuandikwa tu, basi umenoa. vijana wa sikuhizi bana hawakubali kufanyia mtu kazi, pple get their education, form patnerships and make doh, just watch your real estate after you let us in, utacheka vile kutachanganywa. enjoy your wkend bro.
 
Now...

Kagame: EAC faces revenue challenges

Source: KBC
Nov 21, 2009

Rwandan President Paul Kagame says temporary loss of revenues is one of the challenges that will face East African Community (EAC) Partner States once the EAC Customs Union comes into force in January 2010.

President Kagame said EAC member states will require mechanisms to compensate for the short-term revenue losses.

The Rwandan President said the most important achievement of the EAC over the last one year were the high-level task force negotiations on the EAC Common Market Protocol that was signed on Friday by the presidents of Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in Arusha.

He said the Common Market Protocol marked the passing of East Africa from the stage of individual partner states competing with each other to a region bound together by common interests and aspirations.

President Kagame was giving his farewell speech as the outgoing Chairman of the EAC Summit at the Arusha International Conference Centre.

He handed over to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania who will chair the Summit for the next one year.

President Kagame urged the partner states to ensure that the Common Market Protocol was ratified by July 2010.

He said cooperation in the development of infrastructure and the elimination of non-tariff barriers had helped create an attractive business environment within the region.

He said closer cooperation and joint military exercises between defence forces of the EAC partner states were meant to enhance peace and security within the region.

President Kagame had embarked on the collective promotion and branding of East Africa as common investment and tourism destination and cited the East African Investment Conference that was held in Nairobi in July this year as a step in the right direction.

He said tripartite talks to integrate the SADC, COMESA and EAC trade blocs were progressing well, adding that the talks could result in a market of around 500 million people in the near future.
 

It is not strange for a person who has never eaten the food which prepared by different cook (but used to eat the food cooked by his mom) to think his mom is a best cook on earth.

This is how your mind is Smatta. You think that kenyans are extremely hard workers. But I know becoz u have may be never come across with extremely hard working people. In social research aimed at showing which territory her people concentrate much on work during working hours(both in public and private establishment), no where you can see kenya in the group of 50 countries, but Asian particularly Japanese and Chinese were leading in this rank followed by Scandinavia countries (kama Sweden, Norway, Denmark). So Im just angalia wewe what are you talking about.

Smatta try to be broad in thinking and arguing, dont fence yourself in Nairobi and Dar, toka nje ya dunia uone watu wananvyofanya kazi. Tembea uone. I think you'll never argue the way you do now. Ukitoka nje ya dunia, you will never say watu wa nchi yako wamesoma sana, nyie muna mitaji mikubwa, munajua real estate (this is my magnum opus, njoo nikufundishe), tunajua sana kiingereza, nk.

Ukitoka nje you will always think that we have a lot to do to streamline our system ili watu wetu waishi vizuri.
Na nakushauri kama unatoka nje usiende UK au US, jaribu kwenda Scandinavia au Japan au China.

Nakutakia mwisho wa juma wenye furaha.
 

huh???????? so you want smatta to say that kenyans are lazy people? or are you saying that kenyans are lazy?

there is a difference between, hard working and good work ethic.

there is no logical way of telling which country has more hardworking citizens than the other.

kenyans are no more hard working than than tanzanians, kenyans are more aggressive than tanzanians. kenyans take more risks than tanzanians. kenyans are more adventurous(in business) than tanzanians. these differences come from the economic policies of both countries.

kenyans we are unapologetically capitalists. tanzanians are die hard socialists.

if you understand capitalism(you sound educated so im sure u understand) then you are aware that to be a capitalist you have to break out of your comfort zone take risks be very ambitious and willing to try new things. we kenyans tend to take too many risks, or venture out into the unkown without being careful and we get severly punished for our carelessness. although kenyans are unabashedly capitalists we also dont understand capitalism very well hence the constant struggle in the kenyan society. capitalism is kenya's strength and weakness. kenya's economy is what it is today because kenyans are willing to venture out. kenyan businesses are establishing businesses in south sudan burundi, congo ethiopia and zambia, while tanzania barely invests in her neighbours. yes although we might get our fingers burned we also reap fruits because we ventured out and that is why kenyas economy is bigger than tanzania's

on the other hand tanzanians strongly believe in socialism. change is not "welcomed" that is why tanzanians barely venture out. tanzanians dont like taking risks. because of the socialism mentality, tanzanians have kept a peaceful island in the middle of a troubled east african reagion and tanzania has a fairly good balance between the rich and the poor. but on the same note tanzania is one one of the poorest nations on earth!!!

anyways, my point is there is no way you can tell which people are more hard working than which ones. kenyans are NOT more hard working than tanzanians but we kenyans(i think) we are more aggressive than tanzanians.

fyi. capitalim or socialism by themselves are not the best policies but rather a good balance between the two is the best available policy. the scandinavian countries have struck the right balance between socialism and capitalism and that is why they are successfull. me thinks.
 

nomasana, kindly understand the pivotal point of discussion. smatta has pointed out that you're extremely hard workers. Then I tried to make smatta understand the most hard workers on earth.

Again, you're keeping on explaining capitalism, capitalism capitalism .... but what I know kenya is not in the list of capitalistic nations, it is in the list of PRIMITIVE CAPITALISM, accumulating wealth by plundering and robbery which lasted in western europe in 18th and 19th century. Sad enough, the the country will lag in this stage till when? no one knows!!!

Moreover, the kyns are neither business people nor aggressive but petty traders and greedy. In the world report you cant see kny investors as a leading ones as you strongly arguing. So wale unaowaongelea kyns ambao wako sudan, burundi, ruanda, congo are not business people (as a term ascribed to) but ni aina ya jua kali ambao wanabangaiza huko. Na i'm worrying if are registered and paying taxes to the respective countries.

i'm always keeping on saying, nomasana, when you analyse things try to be more wide, then you'll understand your position.

Hata my fellow tzns nawaambia, let's try to think big, dont fence yourself in east africa, cultivate the altitude of having a competitive ideas and broad mind.

But nomasana, now let's think on how to have the socio-economic settings oriented in socialistic market economy. A market economy with high measure of freedom while there is a graduated state intervension.
I know Tz can, basing on historical settings.

Tell me, what about you?

Uwe na mwisho juma wenye furaha.
 
Nomasana, kuna kitu hujasema wakenya ubepari umewafanya wawe so inhuman kwenye business dealings lazima waibe, warushe and the like...in a long run biashara ili survive na kuwa sustainable lazima kuwe na "Trust" we Tanzania we are gifted with that..tumeshaingia huko..wakenya wasipojirekesha..kuhusu uwizi, ujambazi kwenye biashara wa-taanguka kwa pua..
 
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This is could very well turn out to be a defining moment in our history. Only time will tell whether we will gain from it or not. On a brighter note, perhaps some of you lazy bums will get off your backsides and work for your living for a change, wabongo hapa tunajitaja.
 
Subirini kuwa raia wa mwisho sasa Kenyans ndo watakuwa vinara kwa walivyo na ubinafsi na tabia zao zisizo na utu,pia Mungiki na organised crimes ndo wako around the corner na hatimaye hizo EPA zitakuwa cha mtoto kwa jinsi jamaa wanavyojua kuchora mipango,I wish tungekuwa kama Waingereza walivyofanya kuhusu EU.Ngoja nikajinywee Kimpumu na kucheza mapenenga kukaja
 
Kenyans ni kama wahindi wanakutafuta na kukupenda kama ukiwa na kitu,kwa nchi zote hakuna nchi yenye kila kitu kama sisi ndio maana kila nchi inatung'ang'ania ni uhusiano ambao baada ya kuona hawa wenzetu hawana kitu wanatumia huo ushirikiano kuja kukomba kila kitu.Hivi mfano mtu aliyelima shamba la mahindi ambalo limestawi vizuri na yule asiye na chochote kwenye shamba lake ni nani atakuwa na uchungu wa kulinda shamba lake lisivamiwe na tumbili ofcourse ni wa shamba lenye mahindi lakini sasa mwenyeshamba kaliacha subiri tuvune mabua,tumedanganyika
 
Majuzi pale Arusha kulikuwa na mkutano wa wakuu wa nchi tano za Afrika mashariki kuhusiana na kuunganisha nchi hizo katika soko la pamoja. Nilivyosikia juujuu ni kwamba katika kikao cha mawaziri waTZ iliamuliwa kuwa kabla ya kuwa na mkutano huo wa Arusha, ambao ulikuwa ni kwa ajili ya kuweka sahihi makubaliano hayo ya mawaziri wa nchi tano, mawazuru wa TZ waukatae mpango huo, na kwamba Bernad Membe alipewa nondo zote ili kuziwakilisha kwenye kikao cha mawaziri hao kuhusu kutoafiki ishu ya common market, lakini alichofanya huko ni aibu-kukubaliana na mawaziri wenzake na kutupilia waraka alioandaliwa hapa TZ kwa ajili ya kuwasilisha kwenye hicho kikao cha mawaziri wa EA. Laiti asingeafikiana nao wala kusingekuwako na ule mkutano wa juzi pale Arusha, na JK asingepata wakati mgumu kukubaliana na hoja ya common market. wadau wenye habari zaidi kuhusu hili mtuwekee hapa
 
Si jambo la kuweza kuamini, kama waziri anaenda kinyume na makubaliano ya kikao cha baraza la mawaziri. Lakini hata kama ni kweli responsibility inakwenda kwa mwenyekiti wa baraza la mawaziri. Mimi siungi mkono Tanzania kujiunga na common market, tunatoa soko tu kwa kenya hakuna cha maana tunachoweza kuuza, hatuna ubavu wa kwenda ku-compete na wakenya kwenye labour market nenda leo Uganda, Bara na Zanzibar, Rwanda na Burundi utakuta almost kila kitu ni made in Kenya hakuna chochote cha maana zaidi ya sigara sportsman au safari beer kinachouzwa huko.
Kama ni kweli tumeingizwa mkenge na serikali.
 
Unaogopa bure wakenya ni bure kabisa hawajui biashara...ni kweli wanajua kuiba, kuchonga deal za kibabebabe, lakini hii ndugu siyo sustainable kwenye biashara yeyote ..naamini wabongo wengi twendeni kenya tukachukue biashara..tufanye kwa uaminifu wa kibongo tuna-beat ile mbaya...take my words...nimefanya nao kazi mara nyingi ni wezi na si waaminifu...kitu ambacho hakifaa kwa biashara dunia ya leo hata kwao wenyewe..ukifungua business kwao..ukawa mwaminifu wateja unawakamata wote....it is high time twendeni huko jamani pesa iko nje nje..lol
 
Tumain, stop pivoting your argumets on hearsay, Kenyans arent as thieving and dishonest as you are trying to potray, its true that at some incidences you have to corrupt your way into some deals or tenders, and this is not confined to Kenya alone (trust me I know). We all have our weaknesses as people, Nigerians are great in business, but some of them have majored their businesses in illegal activities, that doesnt justify me to refer to all of them as theiving Naijas. Tanzanians are honest, but how many well established Tanzanian businessmen do I know who deal in drugs in Nrb? Many, some deal in fake currency, and these are not isolated cases, its something that happens in both countries. so stop playing the holier than thou role, it doesnt fit you, not after the murders of albinos. ps. not all researches are true, you cant expect any African country to be put in the top 50 hardworking people, it doesnt just add up, not with all the poverty around. but am still stibking to my guns, Kenyans are very hardworking people, at least in Africa. dont get me wrong am not arrogant, am just saying what i have observed.

Enjoy the remainder of the wkend.
 
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