Summit a milestone

The joint meeting of Heads of State from 26 Eastern, Central and Southern African countries that opened in Kampala on Wednesday is a milestone on the path towards continental integration.

It is a realisation that our countries cannot continue operating as though the rest of the world is not moving towards full economic integration.

Whereas the regional blocs – the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa – have served us well in the past, economic trends worldwide indicate that there is greater value in bigger markets.

For example, since most of the countries experience more or less similar climatic conditions and grow common agricultural products, they can convincingly bargain for better prices for their produce on the global market. More importantly, it would promote trade and investment.

The European Union has exemplified the benefits of big economic blocs. Not only do the member states trade easily, they also operate a common currency – except for a few – and co-operate in service sectors such as transport, education and research.

The summit should come up with concrete proposals to prepare the ground for actualisation of free trade in the region and ultimately, continent-wide.