THE EAC COMMON MARKET EXPLAINED.

The establishment of the East African common market is the second step in the regional integration process of East Africa, after the Customs Union, and before the establishment of a Monetary Union and Political Federation.

The East African Common Market has the main principle of accelerating economic growth and development of the Partner States through the attainment of the free movement of goods, persons and labour, the rights of establishment and residence and the free movement of services and capital. This will be attained by providing for the free movement of goods; the free movement of persons; the free movement of labour;   the right of establishment; the right of residence; the free movement of services; and the free movement of capital between the five partner states of east Africa.

The common market will greatly enhance the trade between the five partner states, making it cheaper to travel, set up businesses, mergers and subsidiaries between companies and businesses between the five partner states.

The free movement of persons and labor will be attained by providing for the standard identification systems, travel documents, free movement of workers, harmonization and mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications, and harmonization of labor policies, laws and programmes. In the education sector, this will increase the competition between the higher schools of learning, and students will be able to do their courses of choice at affordable rates, and hence pursue the degrees of their dreams.

The right of establishment and residence means that a citizen of East African Community will be able to live anywhere in the region and be accorded the rights and privileges given to a citizen of the country he is living in. This will provide great incentive for the citizens of East African community to travel and intermingle, sharing their experiences with each other, improving business links and social ties within the citizens of all partner countries.

 For the common market to work, there will be need for much coordination and cooperation between the governments in terms of financial policy, environmental management, research and collection of statistics, industrial development and agricultural and food security, among other issues. If, and this is a very big if, this can be done, then the East African Common Market will open up opportunities for economic and social cooperation on a scale not seen in Africa before. The benefits and opportunities that the East African common market offers for businessmen, professionals, entrepreneurs and the youth are vast, hence it is imperative for the citizens of East Africa to keep their respective governments in check, and ensure the full and quick implementation of the protocol.
 

Be informed and be a part of the team that will keep the government on its toes to expedite the full implementation of the common market protocol!  

OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CHANGE!!

There has not been any other campaign as massive and as important as the EAC Inter-university Social media challenge that aims to bring the youth together, the youth in EAC are the  biggest yet often overlooked stakeholder,  to bring them together, to give them a platform that is not only youth-driven but also one that is far reaching in its scope is a timely move. The Connect, Vuka Border initiative that is working with the Ministry of EAC and funded by Trade Mark East Africa has given the youth a chance not only to get information on opportunities available in EAC but also ways in which those opportunities are being exploited and what needs to be done by the youth to benefit and exploit all opportunities coming their way as a result of the EAC integration.

Whats more interesting? the initiative is seeking to ingrain an EAC week in the academic and activity calendar of various universities where the universities across the region will commemorate the East African Community in their own ways, this will tremendously boost youth engagement in the whole process of regional integration. To achieve this, there is a massive petition to the various University administration for the inclusion of the EAC week in their academic calender. Over 10,000 petitions have, so far been collected. Be part of this movement. Be an EAC youth. Use the Links below to petition for your University: sign the petition and share this with all in your social network!

Moi                                   http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-moi/

Nazarene                           http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-naz/

Maseno                             http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-maseno/

Kenyatta                           http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-ku/

University of Nairobi       http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-uon/

Egerton                             http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-egerton/

Kenya Methodist              http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-kemu/

St. Pauls                            http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-spu/

Daystar                             http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-daystar/

Catholic University          http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-cuea/

Multimedia                       http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-mmuc/

KCA University               http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-kca/

Kenya Polytechnic UC    http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-kpuc

JKUAT                             http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/eacweek-jkuat





JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON FACEBOOK
         CONNECT, VUKA BORDER

OR ON TWITTER
    @CVUKABORDER 

THE EAC CUSTOMS UNION SUCCESS STORY!

The East Africa Integration once again is a dream come true to many believers of unity for strength. After its previous challenges that led to its untimely disintegration the EAC has been resuscitated, this time with clear aims and objectives, with its main agenda being increasing the social welfare of East African citizens through regional economic, social, political and cultural integration. It is under the regional economic integration where the Custom Unions falls. 

A Customs Union can be simply understood as an association of nations to promote free trade within the union and set common tariffs for nations that are not members. 

The EAC’s Custom Union was the first success story in the East African Community’s integration process. The whole process was a test of fire, given the sacrifices and the stringent and tight measures that were to be adhered to by the three states. It acted as a show of commitment and the resilience showed meant that the region was serious and wholly committed to deliver, and be able to reap the benefits.

The EAC Customs Union was launched on 31^st December 2004. This process initiated common tariffs on both internal and external trade carried out by the Union partners. The Custom Union assimilated the principle of Asymmetry. In this case Uganda and Tanzania were to charge tariffs on Kenyan exports at the rates of 10% and 25% reducing by the rate of 2% and 5% every year for 5 years respectively.

Benefits of the custom union

The EAC Custom Union came packaged with great benefits and opportunities for the EAC members. The entry of Rwanda, Burundi and the prospective plans of joining by countries like South Sudan and Somalia will leave the Community with a further increased opportunities and benefits to exploit. The tremendous economic capacities and potential within the EAC is a hot cake to both local and foreign investors, who are streaming into the region with several international MNCs setting office in the region.

The opportunities and benefits resulting from the EAC Customs Union

• The increased competition in the market, has lead to cheaper consumer goods and increased choice of products for the inhabitants within the EAC community

• The Customs Union has led to increased market size. With more than 130 million people it has enabled firms to benefit from economies of scale in production and service delivery resulting in cheaper goods and services within the East African region. This has had a tremendous and positive effect on the living standards of the citizens within the Union.

• A bigger economy attractive to investors has been realized thanks to the EAC Custom Union. The EAC has a combined GDP of about 79 billion USD. With such a handsome figure investors around the globe have made efforts to have a piece of the cake.

• There has been an easy cross-border trade among the five EAC member countries. The Customs Union has led to the harmonization of trade policies within all the member countries within the Union. This has incredibly enhanced trade. The primary factor behind the trade increase has been due to removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers.

The Customs Union however has had its share of challenges too. The infrastructural and procedural problems such as the poor state of roads, frequent road blocks, lengthy inspection and the insufficient port capacities within the EAC has made importing and exporting lengthy and expensive. These problems are currently being looked into so as to smoothen and improve the levels of trade and other related matters within the East African Community.

The EAC ANTHEM

Did you know that the East African Community has an anthem? Well, it was adopted by the East African  community at the EAC Summit on December 3, 2010. here is the the original lyrics and below it find the unofficial English translation for ease of understanding the the content and meaning of the EAC anthem. the journey to becoming an EAC citizen begins with you learning the emblem and anthem and then you taking an active role in the EAC integration process.

ChorusJumuiya Yetu sote tuilinde
Tuwajibike tuimarike
Umoja wetu ni nguzo yetu
Idumu Jumuiya yetu.

1. Ee Mungu twaomba ulinde
Jumuiya Afrika Mashariki
Tuwezeshe kuishi kwa amani
Tutimize na malengo yetu.

2. Uzalendo pia mshikamano
Viwe msingi wa Umoja wetu
Natulinde Uhuru na Amani
Mila zetu na desturi zetu.

3. Viwandani na hata mashambani
Tufanye kazi sote kwa makini
Tujitoe kwa hali na mali
Tuijenge Jumuiya bora.


The English translation

Chorus
We should protect/guard our Community
We should be committed and
stand strong
Our unity is our anchor
Long live our community
1
Oh God we pray
For preservation of the East African Community;
Enable us to live in peace;
May we fulfil our objectives;
2
Patriotism and togetherness
Be the pillars of our unity
May we guard our independence
and peace
Our culture and traditions
3
In industries and farms
We should work together
We should work hard
We should build a better Community.

This is the national anthems of the respective members of EAC...begin with Kenya's national anthem, followed by Tanzania's and Uganda's in that order.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE EAST AFRICANS

                                         AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF EAST AFRICA

I hope this finds you well brothers, sisters, aunties and uncles, friends and friends spread across the Eastern African region, the borders we have are only residual elements that our minds are afraid to discard. We are one. We are many. We are linked by a common destiny, a common past and a shared present. Our problems are the same; they can only be solved by our collective actions. In mentioning the shared problems I must pay tribute to the resilience and the undying spirit of the citizens of the East Africa; from the terror that we have borne equally to how we deal with the inevitable conflicts that characterize the human race. We need to realize that indeed our destiny is one. The dreams you share has been envisioned in the minds of millions of people across our region: the desire for progress. It has been passed from generations and eras of yore, handed down through successive chiefdoms, kingdoms, from undemocratic regimes to the current governments. The dream of a unified East Africa has never been any clearer and more vivid than it is now.

Our progress and identity is pegged on an almost similar or the same socialization process across the region. The cultures we have, the societies spread over and not limited by lines and borders drawn on maps. As kids we have played the same games, same childish pranks and dreamt of the same terrains and environment. Sang and danced to the same songs from the late cool James (motto wa dando) in Tanzania to Saida Caroli in Uganda to Daudi kabaka and Fundi Konde to the current artists like AY and Jaguar singing Vuka Border, from Ray-c, Jaydee, Wahu, Size 8, Chameleon, Bebe cool, peter miles and Ali kiba. We even speak the same language!!.

We have grown up reading the same books from Kenya’s Grace Ogot and Ngugi wa Thiongo to Tom Chacha of Tanzania and Barbara kimenye in Uganda with her amongst others the children’s Moses series, the vividness and the familiarity of Barbara’s fictional school ‘’The Mukibi Institute for the Sons of African Gentlemen’’ one school that I wanted to attend from these Ugandan tales.

From Eneriko Seruma of Uganda and the teachings of Peter John Bosco of Tanzania whose words in his short story ‘’Transition” explains greatly a context similar to what the EAC people are undergoing today……

‘’ the difficulty of the period of transition! The suffering of the generation in transition! It had never once occurred to him that the policy directed at changing the life of poverty and misery to that promising affluence and betterment could also mean disillusionment and disappointment- even to the ones it was supposed to benefit. If this was being experienced in all the other parts of the country, then the dream that had been so vivid and real in his imagination and the imagination of his friends back at school, would be much more difficult to realize than they had known. The leap from today into tomorrow was going to be much more difficult than they had known and a difficult feat to perform.’’

We are on the verge of take off. We can achieve a lot together. We are our only true relatives if states have kin or anything as blood relations. We are in-laws. We have always looked to one another when faced by hard times, we can work together, we can pull through, rise over the jeer of skeptics who are trying to shoot down our dreams of a political federation! We need not be afraid to try and implement ideas that work. Self doubt sometimes can creep and disillusion a lifelong dream, 1977 is a lesson that we have learnt from. That the destiny’s of the millions of us are much more important than a few political elements in the name of belligerent rebels and rogue politicians who are wont to create fear and in the process derail the whole integration process. These enemies of east Africa pry on our ignorance, on the apathy that characterizes our engagement in the EAC integration process. Take an initiative and learn more on the EAC integration process.

The task is indeed enormous but the rewards are also unmatched. Despite the challenges that may make the ultimate goal of political federation like an impossible endeavor, we should note that it is not beyond our capabilities, if we have the will, the right political atmosphere and a conscious mass involved at every level and our respective states are willing to make a few sacrifices, this goal will be achieved in just a few years.

We need to continue with the integration process at all levels, streamlining the different sectors in areas such as education, health, security. Take education for example- the same academic system will entail things as same number of school years, same academic syllabus. My roommate schooled in Uganda for his high school and speaks with nostalgia when he remembers his time in Uganda- he had taken it as his home and the people there were not any different from his next door neighbors.  

That time is now, dear people of East Africa. We have seen it and we can achieve it.

 The journey to the East African Integration is on course. Engage with others that share the same visions for East Africa on the facebook page connect, vuka border.

Useful sites that will help you take the first step in a new active participation in the EAC integration process include:

Ministry of the East African Community

Kenya

EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY 

AFRICAN UNION

The east African community

Jumuiya website

follow EAC -Africa Mashariki on twitter for updates

@jumuiya

While at this also take a few seconds to sign the ongoing petition by various Kenyan University students to have their respective universities introduce EAC week in their academic calendar.

                                                                       Sign petition here!!