EAC union stuck in a rut, warns report

From left: Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin (not in picture) during the fourth Northern Corridor Integration Projects summit held at Munyonyo, Uganda in February 2014. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • The study indicates that despite countries showing improved commitment, there appears to be no notable progress in development.
  • The report also says that as the EAC moves from one stage of integration to another, there is a need to strengthen staff capacity.
  • It calls for a paradigm shift in the institution’s organisation and operation, and that of partner states.

The East African integration may be stuck mid-way due to lack of enough funds and skills, says a new study.

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a research outfit, however acknowledged in the report that individual countries had made progress in areas like allowing free movement of goods and people.

However, capacity challenges such as poor funding and skills deficit were lacking, says the Africa Capacity Report 2014.

On each country’s preparedness for integration, Tanzania and Rwanda were found to be doing particularly well, with Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi, at mid-level.

The study indicates that despite countries showing improved commitment, there appears to be no notable progress in development.

Countries only showed improvements in areas such as gender equality and social inclusion.

CONDUCTED RESEARCH

However, the research conducted with the input of research bodies and experts in the region such as Kippra, says countries need to focus more on capacity development in their strategies and policies.

“Improving capacity development outcomes can also be linked to the capacity needs of the East African Community (EAC),” says the report.

The research findings however note that regional integration is the right strategy for overcoming the challenge of high fragmentation, small domestic markets and growing transnational threats.

Although the region is facing a shortage of skilled trade negotiators, a Tripartite Agreement between Brics (Brazil Russia, India, China and South Africa) and members of SADC, COMESA, and EAC promises economic dividends for the region.

The combined bloc of 26 member states has a population of nearly 600 million and a GDP of $1 trillion.

The report also says that as the EAC moves from one stage of integration to another, there is a need to strengthen staff capacity.

EAC, for instance, is now moving to its third pillar, the monetary union.

BEST PERFOEMER

The region’s Heads of State and Government signed the Monetary Union Protocol on November 30, last year.

It calls for a paradigm shift in the institution’s organisation and operation, and that of partner states.

“There is great demand for additional resources (capital, human) at regional and partner-State levels,” the study says.

However, among the surveyed regional economic blocks, the EAC has recorded the best performance.

The region has fully achieved a free trade agreement and customs union, made good progress on a common market and monetary union.

It is now preparing for economic and political federation.