The 22nd edition of the annual EAC Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi Exhibition, was held from 8 to 18 December at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, Uganda under the theme “Buy East African to Build East Africa for Resilience and Sustainable Development”. 

The main objective of the trade fair was to contribute towards the realization of the region’s development goals and aspirations by lending support to the budding Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector of the economy.  Further, the trade fair created considerable impact on the image of SMEs, which are seen as the panacea to the daunting question of unemployment and poverty alleviation in the region.

The fair attracted more than 1,000 SMEs from all the seven EAC Partner States. GIZ via the “Support to East African Integration” programme, dubbed SEAMPEC II, showcased its activities in Kampala and supported SMEs in fruits and vegetables, leather and leather products to showcase their products, network, build their capacity and sell their products.

In addition, a GIZ-specific session on the opportunities for SMEs presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was organized. Mr. Lamech Wesonga, Economic Policy Advisor GIZ, informed over 1,000 attendees that AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade through consumption of locally produced goods and create opportunities for a digital trade through the promotion of e-commerce. It would therefore be vital to support the engagement of SMEs in AfCFTA processes, which is done by SEAMPEC II, e.g., via awareness creation and capacity development measures.

Mr. Wesonga emphasized that for AfCFTA to work successfully and for SMEs to maximize benefits in trading under the AfCFTA, the following should be addressed:

- Support integration of SMEs into regional value chains through production linkages and awareness creation.
- Partner States to create enabling environment to increase production capacities of SMEs inclusivity.
- Partner States should facilitate inclusiveness (youth, persons with disabilities) in exploiting existing and potential opportunities.
- Partner States to explore technical assistance to enhance skills gaps for implementing AfCFTA effectively.
- Partner States to strengthen regional value chains to attract local and foreign investors in existing and new sectors and form linkages between dominant agricultural sector and other sectors.
- Partner States to promote access to affordable credit for SMEs.
- Partner States to provide efficient transport system by enhancing efficiency and coordination.
- Partner States to provide reliable and affordable energy which is necessary for production.
- Partner states to ensure continuous technological innovation and an increased access to technology.
- Need to enhance collaboration with private sector, civil society, and other actors to create awareness on the opportunities of AfCFTA. 

Similarly, SMEs participating in the exhibition highlighted some of the challenges they are facing in conducting cross-border trade. Therefore, in addition to other policy interventions, SMEs recommended to the EAC Partner States the following to improve their participation in regional and continental trade:

- Have different tiers at the bureau of standards which could support the different categories of private sector including SMEs in securing standards easily and quickly as the current system only meet the demands and capacity of big companies.
- Partner States to provide financial support to SMEs in securing standards and marketing their products across the region, continent and internationally especially through B2Bs.
- Partner States to reduce the timeline for processing the standards to facilitate more application for standards. 
- Partner States to provide business support such as mentorship, coaching and networking/linkages to grow SMEs capacity.

Find more information on SEAMPEC II programme [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec).


GIZ Supports EAC’s Small and Medium Enterprises to tap into Regional and Continental Trade Opportunities (GIZ)

On 19 January, the East Africa Community (EAC) Secretariat with the support of the GIZ Global Programme Pandemic Prevention and Response, One Health (GP PPOH) convened the First EAC Annual Partners’ Forum on One Health in Arusha, Tanzania. One Health (OH) represents a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to health that recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of humans, animals and the environment.

Under the theme “Strengthening pandemic preparedness and response in East Africa through One Health: The power of partnerships", the forum provided a platform for stakeholders to explore the potential for enhanced OH coordination and collaboration in the EAC with the aim to strengthening and institutionalizing the OH approach in the EAC region.

It brought together over 100 partners implementing and supporting the OH approach in the region. Experts from the public sector, international agencies, civil society as well as academia shared their lessons learnt and discussed possible actions to prevent and respond to future pandemics in the EAC. All discussions reflected on the experiences made during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent disease outbreaks in the region.

“We need to build community capacity and ensure that One Health is cascaded down to the community,” urged Samuel Wanjohi, Kenya Country Manager, Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN), underlining the central role of local communities to implement the OH approach in practice.

The forum also presented an opportunity to highlight the commitments made by the EAC Secretariat, Partner States and other OH stakeholders in the region as demonstrated in the Regional EAC One Health Strategy 2022-2027, which was adopted by the Ministers of Health of EAC Partner States in July 2022. The strategy aims at promoting and institutionalizing a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary OH approach in the region. 

Being the first of its kind, the forum established grounds for increased OH stakeholder engagement in the region. Participants jointly developed recommendations for intensified advocacy, partnerships and coordination around pandemic prevention and response in the future.

“Achieving the overarching goal of the Regional EAC One Health Strategy will require coordination across sectors and collaboration through joint efforts and engagement of relevant stakeholders at all levels from the community to the regional level, with support on the continent and globally”, noted Dr Irene Isaka, Director Social Sectors, EAC. 

**Background**

The Global Programme on Pandemic Prevention and Response, One Health (GP PPOH) is part of the EAC-German technical development cooperation, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Find more information on EAC and Health [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/sector/health).

Find more information on the GP PPOH project [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/global-programme-on-pandemic-prevention-and-response-one-health).


East African Community Convenes the 1st Annual Partners’ Forum on One Health in Arusha, Tanzania (GIZ)

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. 

The programme Digital Skills for an innovative East African Industry (dSkills@EA) is currently looking to fill the position of Advisor Communications and Trainings

**Duty station:** Arusha

**Terms of the contract:** Fixed term

**Responsibilities**

The advisor is responsible for

- Managing the external communication of the project and advisory to its partners 
- Managing the output area of digital skills trainings that forms part of the programme objectives
- Monitoring & evaluation of the overall project implementation towards its indicators
- Innovation and knowledge management within the project and East African Community (EAC) GIZ cluster of projects and the wider GIZ network

**Tasks**

**1.	External communication, Marketing**

The advisor

- Advises project partners on their external communication / marketing efforts and guides the implementation of the project’s communication strategy in alignment with the partners’ communication experts
- Strengthens the regional visibility of the Centre of Excellence for ICT in East Africa (CENIT@EA) and its achievements
- Develops and updates branding materials for the project such as brochures, flyers, banners in adherence to the GIZ design guidelines
- Writes press releases, articles and success stories as well as content for the website and social media channels 
- Liaises with the colleagues in the project and the cluster communication focal person for the development of communication material and content

**2.	Digital skills trainings**

The advisor

- Manages the procurement process of an external consultant for the project’s digital skills trainings in alignment with the partner and the project’s objectives
- Prepares and coordinates the commissioning of the consultant for the implementation of the trainings
- Coordinates in close consultation with the project partners and relevant stakeholders the implementation of the digital skills trainings
- Monitors the development and implementation of the trainings along an agreed workplan
- Organizes workshops, seminars and other events or meetings on issues connected with digital skills trainings

**3.	Monitoring and Evaluation**

The advisor

- Develops a monitoring and evaluation system for the project
- Conducts the monitoring and evaluation of project activities and results in line with the project’s objectives and indicators
- Coordinates the reporting of project achievements and its impact to GIZ and BMZ

**4.	Knowledge Management**

The advisor

- Ensures knowledge transfer within the project and to other projects in the EAC cluster as well as the wider GIZ network
- Draws up reports and presentation documents for internal and external presentations
- Prepares appropriate inputs for presentations and contributions to project reports including annual reports, and contributes to other reports required by the project manager and GIZ Head Office

**Required qualifications, competences, and experience**

**Qualifications**
- At least a bachelor degree (master degree preferred) in studies such as communisation, marketing, journalism, public relations, business, or another field that is related to the required tasks
- 5 years professional experience and 3 years in a comparable position in a related area (digitalisation, regional integration, education, innovation)
- Professional experience in external communication and/or digital skills trainings
- Professional experience working with the East African Community or M&E a plus 
- Professional experience in an international context and with international institutions; experience in development cooperation a plus 
- Very good working knowledge of standard office IT and computer applications, especially MS Office
- Knowledge of IT programmes for photo and video-editing is a plus 
- Experience in web design and content production is a plus
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English (knowledge of German is a plus)
- Team player mentality, strong communication and organizational skills, intercultural competences, culture-sensitive, professional behavior, humor
- Willingness to undertake upskilling capacity building as agreed with the manager and in line with the personal development plan

**Applications:**

Interested candidates should send their letter of application together with the CV and copies of academic certificates by email to **hr.giz-tanzania@giz.de.**

Please use the subject line **“Advisor Communication and Trainings”.**

Closing date for submission: **20.01.2023**

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

GIZ Tanzania is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their gender, origin, religion/belief, disability, or any other minority group.












Employment Opportunity - Advisor Communication and Trainings dSkills@EA (GIZ)

Food and cosmetics are among the most widely traded products in the East African region. Due to their impact on the health of consumers, these products are highly regulated by all the Partner States. It is a challenge that each Partner State has different criteria, requirements and responsible institutions, which makes cross-border movement of these products confusing, time consuming and costly. By 2018, the EAC Secretariat had developed a roadmap with practical steps to address this challenge. But first, it was essential to develop a framework with agreed criteria for products to be registered and certified, how this would be verified across the Partner State, and cleared at the borders. 

Since 2019, MARKUP has walked with the Secretariat at every step of this journey. "Within the EAC framework for facilitating trade in food and some cosmetics, there was a provision to develop criteria for registration, certification and verification of the pre-packaged food. So, the EAC approached GIZ, and they supported us in the development of those criteria," explained Stella Apolot, Principal Standards Officer at the EAC Secretariat. 

Under the criteria, four categories of pre-packaged foods are identified and a logical and clear guidance on how to make the decision for registration and certification as well border clearance is prescribed. The criteria are the basis upon which the EAC Partner States accept the results of each other’s control systems for pre-packaged foods as providing the same level of protection as their own. "The implementation of these criteria will achieve broader cooperation and collaboration among the different competent authorities of the EAC Partner States, enhance trade facilitation and protect consumers," Ms. Apolot added. 

Following the approval of the harmonised criteria in 2021, GIZ through MARKUP embarked on paving the way for its implementation. 

First, GIZ supported the training and sensitisation of 211 officials at 20 strategic border points in the region. 46 institutions were represented, including those responsible for standards, customs, health, agriculture, among others. The sensitisation revealed that some aspects of the criteria were already being implemented uniformly. This was especially the case for products bearing the certification mark for EAC harmonised standards, which were allowed easier entry. For novel food products, Kenya and Uganda had developed generic criteria to evaluate safety and facilitate cross-border trade. Overall, the officials were positive about the intervention which they said was long overdue.

The second important step was assessing the capacity of the responsible institutions in all the Partner States to perform the roles assigned to them. The review encompassed national laboratory testing capacities; processes, procedures, collaboration mechanisms; principles applied for registration, certification, verification, and clearance; and quality and labelling requirements. It was completed in July 2022 and identified gaps in a range of areas, including lack of appropriate equipment and materials, duplication of processes and inadequate technical skills. 

The third and final step supported by MARKUP was the development of a national and regional mechanism to co-ordinate the implementation of the criteria. This has also been completed. "Now we are carrying out awareness creation events in the capitals of all Partner States and support them to establish the coordinating committees," said Ms Apolot. "We are really excited to have walked hand in hand with the Secretariat to make the harmonised criteria a reality during the four years of MARKUP. It is an important milestone and will go a long way in streamlining the movement of food products in the Community," highlighted Estella Aryada, GIZ Programme Coordinator of MARKUP. 

Find more information on MARKUP as part of the SEAMPEC II programme [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec).

Find more achievements and impact stories in the Four Years of MARKUP publication [here](https://strapi.eacgermany.org/uploads/4_Years_MARKUP_1_d0e931785c.pdf).


MARKUP Supports Framework for Regional Movement of Pre-Packaged Foods (GIZ)

From 28 to 29 November, the EAC Secretariat invited almost 40 journalists from all seven EAC Partner States to Arusha. The two-day workshop aimed at updating the media on the current status of regional integration, in turn enabling more accurate and timely reporting on matters of EAC integration.

As part of the workshop, the EAC organised sessions on topics such as the implementation of the Common Market Protocol, progress towards a Single Currency and sources of EAC news – all with inputs from EAC experts. The training was facilitated as part of support to enhancing communication of successes of regional integration under the project “Support to East African Integration” (SEAMPEC II). 

In the opening remarks of the EAC Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, read by the Director of Social Sectors, Dr. Irene Isaka, the Director commended the regional media for reporting on the importance of EAC integration. Still, she noted that more needs to be done to improve media coverage on EAC integration. Hence, the EAC had organised the workshop to enhance the capacity of media to accurately report on regional integration.

Speaking on behalf of GIZ, Communications and Cooperation Manager, Mr. Marius Weist, noted that EAC integration needs the support of the region’s citizens to flourish. He further highlighted that it is crucial to showcase the benefits and opportunities of regional integration, in order to gain the support of the common mwananchi. “The most obvious vehicle to convey this information is the regional media. And there are a lot of successes to talk about.”

Presenting on the implementation of the Common Market Protocol, EAC Trade Specialist Edward Kitonsa, asked the journalists to be mindful when reporting on Partner States’ commitments. “Sometimes I read the newspapers and I wish the journalist had read the ‘ANNEX’ of EAC agreements before blaming a Partner State that they had violated agreements. Thus, Mr. Kitonsa urged the journalists to be mindful when reporting, “especially in the area of services, and capital where there was a specific commitment made by a Partner State”. 

Recommendations by the journalists on closer cooperation between the EAC and the regional media were noted and will be considered going forward. 

GIZ, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, is eager to support the EAC in bringing the successes of regional integration to the people and hence making it tangible and allowing for citizens to utilize the benefits already present. This is in line with the 6th EAC Development Strategy as the strategy defines “Increasing the visibility of EAC stakeholder knowledge and awareness, and the participation of EAC citizens in the integration process” as a core objective.

Media reporting on the workshop: 

https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/eac-cross-border-investments-totalled-583-million-last-year-4036838

https://www.eyeradio.org/media-urged-to-report-success-stories-on-eac-integration/

https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/nyanza/2022-11-29-media-challenged-to-play-key-role-in-eac-integration/

Find more information on SEAMPEC II [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec).


EAC Briefs Regional Journalists on Status of Regional Integration as Part of Media Capacity Development (GIZ)

On Friday 2 December, GIZ handed over lab equipment and consumables for designated National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) to the EAC Secretariat. The equipment will strengthen the capacity of NPPOs to effectively operationalize sanitary and phytosanitary measures to facilitate regional seed potato trade.

Opening the handover, the EAC Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, stressed that that the potato subsector was one of the priority value chains in the EAC region and thanked the German government for its support to increase trade in seed potatoes. 

In fact, potatoes are key to food security and to reviving local economies in the EAC. Their production and relevance is growing as outlined by the new EAC Regional Seed Potato Strategy and Action Plan. On the other hand, the production of certified seed potatoes is still in its infancy in all EAC Partner States. Different phytosanitary requirements for seed potatoes have been recognised as non-tariff trade barriers. Harmonisation structures and processes are in place that can be used and strengthened. Well-regulated trade with seed potatoes between the countries of East Africa should provide crucial incentives for the private sector to step up its investments in seed potato production.

Against this background, the German government supported the EAC Secretariat with its project “Improvement of regional trade with seed potatoes in Eastern Africa”, which is part of the global project Agricultural Policy and Innovation Fund (FABI), implemented by EAC-GIZ under the special initiative "ONE WORLD – No Hunger" of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The project aimed at increasing trade with seed potatoes in the EAC by strengthening national and regional seed potato standardisation processes as well as national capacities for phytosanitary inspection and certification of seed potatoes. This follows the logic that through strengthened national processes and actors, regional exchange can lead to harmonised seed potato standardisation processes. 

In his remarks, Max Middeke, Deputy Progamme Manager “Support to the East African Integration Process” (SEAMPEC II) noted, “With the handover of the equipment today, we count on you (Partner States) to take the equipment home and bring it into use. It was a long and cumbersome process to import the laboratory equipment to Arusha. Let’s ensure together that it was worth it!”

The procurement of lab equipment and consumables for designated NPPOs is one of the key outputs of the project to support the quality infrastructure. This infrastructure capacity support includes field deployable diagnostic kits for detection of diseases and viruses, onsite and at point of entry, from stem, leaf, tuber, and soil, giving reliable quick results, without the need to send test samples to labs far away from production and trading points. 

As the handover also marked the end of the FABI project, Mr. Middeke highlighted the successes of the project such as the development of a regional strategy and action plans and strengthening of regional seed potato standardization processes by operationalizing the newly-established Jumuiya Potato Platform.

Mr. Middeke congratulated the EAC Secretariat and the different stakeholders of the national and regional platform for their achievements so far. “With the EAC Regional Seed Potato Strategy and Action Plan for the next year, the priorities and necessary actions for further developing the sector are clearly outlines. Let us continue our collaboration to successfully implement the strategy.” 

Even after FABI’s closure, GIZ via SEAMPEC II stands ready to support priority policy measures for seed potatoes to strengthen linkages and collaboration among stakeholders across the seed potato value chain and promote trade in seed potatoes. 

More information on SEAMPEC II can be found [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec)

GIZ Hands Over Lab Equipment to Strengthen Regional Seed Potato Trade (GIZ)

On 30 November, the East African Community celebrates EAC Day as provided for by the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC that was signed on that date in 1999.

This year, commemorations aimed at popularizing the EAC Day to the public through empowering the common Mwananchi with knowledge on the EAC integration process and raise awareness on the benefits of regional integration. Additionally, EAC and GIZ staff jointly undertook Corporate Social Responsibility activities focused on giving back to the society by contributing to improving maternal health and mitigating the effects of climate change.

In the early morning hours, EAC and GIZ colleagues assembled at the Kilombero Bus Stand in Arusha city centre to clean up the area. After almost two hours of work, all rubbish was removed, and cleaning material donated to Arusha Municipal as a sign of encouragement to keep the bus stand clean for the benefit of the citizens. Afterwards, staff moved on to the Levolosi Hospital. Here, the EAC Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki led the handover of maternity kits that had been fundraised by EAC staff in an effort to support maternal health. Additionally, various fruit trees were planted at the hospital by EAC and GIZ members. In his remarks at the hospital, the Secretary General noted that the integration process is people-driven, therefore also EAC Day celebrations aimed at giving back to the people. 

From midday, EAC organised an Open Day at the Secretariat, welcoming high-ranking guests as well as local citizens. Both EAC and GIZ presented on ongoing projects and benefits created on the ground via EAC integration. Opening the celebrations, Secretary General Hon. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki highlighted the need for EAC Partner States to expedite the assent of the EAC Holidays Bill 2013, making 30th November an official holiday across all seven Partner States.

For GIZ, Mr. Burkard Kömm, Project Manager of Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region, stressed that GIZ, on behalf of the German Government, is working closely with EAC in creating sustainable benefits for citizens. He noted that since the establishment of the Community, Germany had funded activities worth over EUR 580,000,000 with a view on bringing long-lasting peace to the region. ‘As Germans, we have experienced two World Wars. This led us to the strong belief that regional integration is a key element in fostering cooperation, avoiding conflicts and lastly bringing prosperity. We experienced this in Europe and therefore want to contribute to the same successes of integration in East Africa.’

Lastly, the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Hon. Amb. Ezéchiel Nibigira, together with Mr. Burkard Kömm handed over 550 tree seedlings that had been fundraised by GIZ staff as a donation to the Pastoral Women Council (PWC) as contribution of the EAC and GIZ towards addressing the impacts of climate change in East Africa. PWC is a Non-Governmental Organization owned and led by women, with programmatic experience in implementing climate change initiatives including tree planting in the pastoralist communities in Northern Tanzania.



EAC and GIZ Join Hands in Celebrating EAC Day and Bringing the Community to the People	


In line with the implementation of the EAC Tourism Marketing Strategy, the EAC with support of GIZ is currently developing a Tourism Barometer. After its finalization, the Barometer will act as a scorecard from which Partner States as well as private sector and civil society stakeholders can source data, which will enable them to make better collective decisions and gauge the effectiveness of policies, strategies, interventions, and actions pertaining to tourism development and marketing in the region. 

From 7 to 10 November 2022 a Regional Validation Workshop on the EAC Tourism Barometer was held in Mombasa, Kenya to validate the Draft EAC Tourism Barometer Template and Tourism Indicators. The development of the draft as well as the validation workshop have been facilitated by the joint EAC and GIZ project “Support to East African Integration” (SEAMPEC II). 

The meeting reviewed and validated the EAC Tourism Barometer Template and the list of Tourism Indicators. Further, it recommended the following: 

i)	The EAC Secretariat to submit the validated EAC Tourism Barometer and the list of Tourism Indicators to the Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management for consideration and adoption;

ii)	The EAC Secretariat to request the Partner States to nominate focal persons who will be capturing and updating data on a quarterly basis and populate the indicators; 

iii)	The EAC Tourism Barometer will be hosted at the EAC Statistics Data Portal that was developed within the Open Data Platform framework, with support of the African Development Bank and IMF designed to host trade data;

iv)	EAC Department of Statistics to adopt tourism as a pilot sector for development of modules for trade in services sectors.

In fact, the implementation of the EAC Tourism Barometer will be a major step in stipulating the establishment of a regional tourism and data sharing mechanism and system. The successful conclusion of the validation workshop brought EAC one step closer to achieving this goal.  

**Background**

SEAMPEC II implements together with the EAC Secretariat on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It aims to improve framework conditions for regional and continental trade with potential to support sustainable economic transformation, among them ICT, e-Commerce, and tourism. The programme also assists the private sector in developing policy positions and recommendations.

Find more information about SEAMPEC II [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec).
Find more information on EAC-GIZ cooperation on Tourism [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/sector/tourism-and-wildlife-management).


EAC Partner States Validate Draft EAC Tourism Barometer to Enhance Tourism Monitoring and Policy Development (GIZ)

From 31 October to 2 November 2022, the East African Community (EAC) Regional Committee on Trade in Services convened a meeting in Nairobi facilitated by the EAC Secretariat with support from GIZ via the Support to East African Integration (SEAMPEC II) Programme to validate the EAC regulatory audit for the EAC mechanism on the removal of restrictions on Trade in Services captured after validation at national level.

In 2019, the regulatory audits were undertaken in professional services (engineering, architectural, accountancy and legal), insurance services, tourism services, telecommunication services, and distribution services. The audits identified measures that put limitations on market access and national treatment as well some issues of domestic regulations. 

**The Regional Committee Meeting on Trade in Services achieved the following:**

•	Validated the data from the regulatory audit on the EAC mechanism on the removal of restrictions on Trade in Services; 
•	Agreed on the way forward for the removal of restrictions on Trade in Services;
•	Agreed on the roadmap of the Republic of South Sudan for the development of its schedule of commitments on the progressive liberalization of Trade in Services for the EAC.

The meeting also highlighted that the validated excel template will be transformed into a live online database document that will be updated regularly by Partner States to assess changes in regulatory framework on Trade in Services in EAC.

**Background**

In September 2021, the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance, and Investment (SCTIFI) had directed Partner States to undertake national consultations on the results/data from regulatory audits in the excel template of the mechanism on removal of restrictions on Trade in Services. During the Regional Committee on Trade in Services held on 1st to 5th August 2022, it was requested for National Committee meetings to be conducted by Partner States to consider the data in the excel template by October 2022.

In this regard, from 26 September to 14 October 2022, National Committee Meetings facilitated by the EAC Secretariat with support from GIZ via SEAMPEC II were conducted in the six Partner States. 

The National Committee meetings updated the data in the regulatory audits captured in the excel template and developed their capacity building needs. In addition, the Republic of South Sudan developed a roadmap for the preparation of its schedule of commitments on the progressive liberalization of Trade in Services for the EAC.

SEAMPEC II implements together with the EAC Secretariat on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It aims to improve framework conditions for regional and continental trade with potential to support sustainable economic transformation, among them ICT, e-Commerce, and tourism. The programme also assists the private sector in developing policy positions and recommendations.

Find more information about SEAMPEC II [here](https://www.eacgermany.org/projects/support-to-east-african-market-driven-and-people-centered-integration-seampec).


EAC Partner States Validate Data of Regulatory Audits for the EAC Mechanism on Removing Restrictions on Trade in Services (GIZ)

**Discussion with the Private Sector and Civil Society on the Role of the East African Court of Justice.**
 
The 2nd Annual East African Court of Justice Judicial Conference on Transformation of Justice in EAC was convened by the East African Court of Justice from the 26 to 28 October 2022 in Kampala, Uganda. The Support to East African Integration (SEAMPEC II) Programme supported the participation of non-state actors in a panelist session on adjudication of cross border-trade and investment in East Africa during the conference. 

Participants in this discussion were Mr. John Kalisa, Executive Director of the East African Business Council, Hon. Sheilah Kwamara Msibambi, Executive Director of the East African Subregional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women’s Right (EASSI), Ms. Brenda Anankunda, Coordinator of the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Uganda, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Attorney General of Uganda and Hon. Lady Justice Monica Mugenyi, former judge of EACJ. 

Ms. Anankunda of SEATINI highlighted several factors that positively impact cross-border traders, such as the expansion of markets with the addition of DRC to EAC, commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the demonstrated political will to widen and deepen economic cooperation between EAC Partner States. However, according to Ms. Anakunda, there are still many negative factors that impede on the free movement of goods and services across borders. Examples are the different trade regimes in EAC, COMESA, and the Tripartite Trade Regime. Other factors include a growing number of bilateral free trade agreements that sometimes clash with regional integration efforts, the slow implementation of the Common Market Protocol and Single Customs Territory as well as the rise of tensions in EAC, e.g., border closures and dissent about the free trade of certain goods. These factors have a negative impact on intra-regional trade and give a disadvantage to locally produced goods against competitors from outside the EAC.

Hon. Sheilah Kwamara of EASSI agreed with SEATINI’s position and underlined that the cost of starting a trade dispute may be a deterrent to small and medium businesses to file a complaint with the Court. She alluded that the barrier to filing cases on cross-border disputes may lead to loss of revenue, and result in low intra-regional trade in EAC, which is currently at 20% and much lower than in SADC at 46% and the European Union at 67%.
 
Her Lordship Monica Mugenyi expanded on the role of the East African Court of Justice as the principal judicial organ of the Community and its responsibility is to ensure the adherence to law in the interpretation and application of and compliance with the EAC Treaty. She urged the national and regional Courts to understand the dynamics of the informal and formal cross-border traders. She noted that the ad hoc nature of the EACJ may pose a challenge to the speedy resolution and arbitration of commercial and trade disputes. Justice Mugenyi recommended to revisit EACJ’s rule of procedure to enable it to tap into the pool of qualified external arbitrators to arbitrate these cases, so that the Court could focus on its interpretation and policy decision-making function. 

The Attorney General of Uganda also mentioned that the ad hoc nature of the EACJ needs to be addressed as it does not allow for effective dispensation of court cases for the Micro and medium size enterprises.

**Resulting from the panel discussion, the following recommendations were submitted to the EAC Partner States:**

• The EAC Partners States are urged to empower the border management and national courts to handle cross border trade disputes, digitalized cross border trade procedures and the national courts to improve documentation, information sharing to fasten and smoothen facilitation of trade;
• Establish and strengthen partnership for awareness creation, visibility, and resource mobilization for the court with the private sector, development partners and Partner States;
• EACJ to consider the variations in Partner States on issues of human rights and environmental issues and handle the cases at regional level;
• EALA to come up with an Act on consumer protection to counteract some of the NTBs affecting cross border traders in East Africa;
• Civil Society Organisations to develop a strategy to empower cross border traders to challenge national courts on non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) that continue to affect women and youth cross border traders in East Africa;
• The Partner States to commit more resources to EACJ, fast track the EACJ Financial Bill to provide autonomy of EACJ and to strengthen its capacity to increase its financial and Human Resource to effectively dispense justice for East African citizens.

Find more information about the EACJ [here](https://www.eacj.org/).



February 1st, 2023