Rising inequality slowing regional integration, says NGO
East African Legislative Assembly MP Nancy Abisai (left) Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Daniel Kidega and Society for International Development Deputy Managing Director Arthur Muliro go through launched report of the State of East Africa in the political Economy of Inequalities held at Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel on July 26, 2016. PPHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A new report shows that despite the growth in the economies of East African Community member states, its people are either too poor or too rich.
- The Society for International Development and TradeMark East Africa, faults quality of education, corruption and lack of resources for youth and women for inequality.
Poor quality education and a general disconnect between government policies and what people need are behind rising inequality in the East African region.
A new report shows that despite the growth in the economies of East African Community member states, its people are either too poor or too rich.
The report, produced by local NGO Society for International Development and TradeMark East Africa, faults the quality of education, corruption and lack of resources for youth and women for the situation.
“There needs to be a serious reflection on just what sort of graduates we need,” says the report.
“The poor transfer of knowledge and mismatch of skills is likely to create serious challenges in future and begs a deeper understanding of just what we are getting from the massive investments in the sector,” it says.
The East African Community comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. In March, South Sudan formally signed the EAC agreement although it is yet to ratify it.
The researchers assessed the quality of education in the five countries and found that 56 per cent of university graduates lack relevant technical skills for the job market.
CREATES INSECURITY
In Kenya, one in every two university leavers cannot get a job because what they learnt is not what the employer wants. And as more youth become educated but remain unemployed, this creates insecurity, says the report.
The findings show governments must fight these vices because they determine how popular regional integration will be among the citizens.
“We should not take regional integration for granted. If the inequalities persist and if East African citizens do not perceive the benefits of integration, sooner or later they will turn their backs on it and that will be catastrophic because of the investments and hopes that we have put in the process,” said Mr Arthur Muliro, SID deputy director, after the report launch in Nairobi on Wednesday.
The report says governments must focus on growing the market in the EAC and eradicate corruption at borders.
Speaking at the launch, East African Legislative Assembly Speaker Daniel Kidega said inequality exists partly because governments have delayed implementing the East African Common Market Protocol, a law on elimination of barriers to trade.
