QUESTION: Looking back to 1999, when the East African Community (EAC) was revived, what were the key challenges faced in laying the foundation for the bloc’s resurgence?
ANSWER: The first challenge was creating the required momentum, trust and capacities to deliver and meet the very high expectations of the citizens regarding the solid revival of the EAC. You will recall that, at that point, many of the older citizens of the Community— some of whom had served at senior levels of the organisation—had vivid memories of the many benefits that the Community brought to the three Member States at the time. These included a common education curriculum, ease of travel within the region, common services in railways, aviation, ports, telecommunications, a common currency and specialised academic programmes in the three national universities: The University of Dar es Salaam, Makerere University and the University of Nairobi, among others. The other critical challenge was mobilising the financial and human resources required to support the development of strategic interventions in priority sectors and to reconstruct cross-border physical and soft infrastructure that had fallen into ruin and disuse following the collapse of the Community. In addition to these, there was a raft of national policies, laws and regulations that needed harmonising and aligning to support the re-established Community. After the collapse of the first Community, many regional laws, policies and regulations had been amended to focus primarily on national interests concerning EAC matters.
Q: As one of the first staff members of the EAC, how did you perceive the vision of regional integration then, and how has that vision evolved over the past 25 years?
A: My perception of regional integration at the time was that the ‘reunited’ region would create and usher in enormous opportunities for the individual Partner States and, collectively, for their citizens. These opportunities included wealth creation through intra-regional trade, cross-border investments and industrialisation; employment opportunities; enhanced peace dividends; a stronger position to compete in and influence global affairs (as the waves and impacts of globalisation had already begun); and the harnessing of natural resources and human capacities in a secure region. Over the past 25 years, my vision for the Community has remained solid and I am hopeful that ongoing efforts will be enhanced to accelerate the realisation of the Community’s vision 2025 objectives sooner.
Q: What do you consider the most significant milestones achieved by the EAC during your time with the organisation and how have these impacted the region?
A: Over the past 25 years, there have been several significant developments within the Community. The first of these includes the establishment of the EAC’s key organs and institutions, such as the Summit of Heads of State, the Council of Ministers, the Secretariat, the East African Legislative Assembly and the East African Court of Justice. These organs were necessary to support the regional integration process through mandates derived from the Treaty. A second major development involved the negotiation and enactment of protocols underpinning three of the four pillars of the integration roadmap: The Customs Union, the Common Market and the Monetary Union. Significant progress has also been made in the preparatory and pre-negotiation phase towards the eventual Political Federation. These developments underline the Partner States’ commitment to deepening and widening their integration through Treaty-based processes and legal frameworks. This commitment fosters confidence and predictability in the path towards a unified region—a key aspiration of EAC citizens. Other impactful achievements over the last 25 years include the harmonisation of policies, laws and regulations across several cooperation sectors, such as trade, environment, education, health, investment and infrastructure. The harmonisation process has positively influenced the region by encouraging common approaches, lowering the cost of doing business and expanding opportunities for sectoral collaboration across Partner States. A particularly visible development over the past 25 years has been the significant investments made by Partner States in cross-border and priority infrastructure. These investments include major trade, transport and transit corridors; ports; maritime and inland waterways; pipelines; and border improvements, all aimed at reducing dwell times at these facilities. Huge investments have also been made in energy sectors—covering power generation and transmission—and in enhancing digital transformation capacities. These developments have been instrumental in linking East African markets, fostering opportunities for cross-border investments, reducing the cost of production and transport and creating an environment of predictable trade and transport logistics for industries. They have also facilitated better connections for landlocked Partner States to maritime ports. For instance, the standard gauge railway system will be a game-changer for the region,
