PREPS IN TOP GEAR FOR 3RD EAC SECRETARY GENERAL’S FORUM FOR PRIVATE SECTOR, CIVIL SOCIETY AND OTHER INTEREST GROUPS: About 200 delegates to attend it in Entebbe, Uganda

East African Community

About 200 delegates will attend the third East African Community Secretary General’s Forum to be held 11-12 September 2014 in Entebbe, Uganda.

The delegates will be drawn from the Partner States’ Private Sector Organisations (PSOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), professional bodies, academia/universities, media, EAC organs and institutions, development partners and other interest groups.

The forum aims to provide a platform for regular dialogue between the EAC Secretary General and the Private Sector, Civil Society and other interest groups on how to improve the EAC integration process.

The Forum’s Regional Dialogue Committee met in Bujumbura, Burundi over the week end to review the preparations and update Partner States on the forthcoming event. The meeting was second in series after Mwanza, Tanzania, in February 2014.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in Charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon Jessica Eriyo, called for greater collaboration, teamwork and support from all stakeholders to ensure the successful planning and execution of the third Secretary General’s Forum.

‘’The first preparatory meeting addressed a lot of issues and strategies  which calls for team work  and collective responsibility,’’ Hon. Eriyo said in her opening remarks read out by the EAC Director for Social Sectors, Mary Makoffu.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mwangi Kahenu, Senior Assistant Director in the Ministry of EAC, Commerce and Tourism Republic of Kenya and Ms Lilian Awinja, Manager Membership Development of the East African Business Council (EABC).

Kenya is the current rotational chair of the EAC Summit whereas the EABC is tasked to lead organization of this year’s EAC Secretary General’s Forum. The meeting proposed, among others, formation of four sub-committees to ensure smooth organisation of the Forum.

These are: Protocol and Security; Publicity and Media; Logistics, Administration and Exhibitions and; Technical Committee. The theme for this year’s Forum is: EAC: My Home, My Business.

The first EAC-SG Forum was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in December 2012 and the second in Nairobi, Kenya in October, last year. The delegates later conducted a sensitization and community service at Buyenzi Market in the centre of Bujumbura City.

The two-hour sensitization covered opportunities offered for the people of East Africa under the regional integration process. The EAC delegates and Buyenzi local community later carried out cleaning exercise which was led by the Burundi EAC Ministry Permanent Secretary Ambassador Jean Rigi.

The local community called for more such sensitisations and community services which, in their view, demonstrated solidarity and a true commitment of the people of East Africa toward regional integration process.