His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda today addressed the 4th meeting of the 4th session of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) at the Parliament of Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda. The President urged the Partner States to make all efforts to resolve outstanding challenges hampering and slowing down the regional integration process.
The President termed Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs) a threat to doing business in the region stating that the failure to reign in NTBs all together increased the costs of doing business and discouraged investors. The President lamented that the limited awareness of the Common Market Protocol by regional and international investors further presented challenges to the integration process and impeded on the ability to ensure maximization of investments in the region.
“Limited financial capacity is another challenge facing the region’s ability to smoothly integrate resulting in inadequate Public-Private-Partnerships”, President Kagame said.
He called for the institutional strengthening of the EAC to enable the speedy implementation of projects and programmes within the timeframe, noting that, delay in the realization of planned programmes and projects created a ripple effect, leading to further delays of others.
“Let us keep the process of integration on track. We must keep prioritising given the fact that we opted to take on integration of the EAC as the path to follow”, President Kagame said.
President Kagame urged the EAC to fast track infrastructure development stating that it was time for the East African Road Map Project and the East African Railway Project among others to be taken to the next level.
In his remarks, the Speaker of EALA, the Rt. Hon. Abdirahin Abdi hailed Rwanda for the progress it had made in socio-economic development noting that it was as a result of sound leadership.
”The giant economic, social and political strides this country has made in the last 16 years after the genocide cannot be gainsaid. Rwanda is now regarded as one of the safest and indeed, most productive and competitive country in Africa to do business with. The ever-changing skyline of Kigali City is evidence of a booming construction industry and is reminiscent of a fact that there is a Master plan being adhered to” Hon Abdi said.
”Furthermore, during our field visits throughout this country, we have noticed frantic efforts by wananchi and the Government to move away from poverty and embrace modernisation”, the Speaker added.
He said the country had put in place sound policies to ensure decline of the level of poverty. Hon Abdi hailed the government for embarking on the ambitious campaign to eradicate the grass-thatched houses (Nyakatsi).
”Your Excellency, we were privileged to have joined you in the construction of homes during the monthly community work (Umuganda) over the weekend in Kanyinya Sector. The success of this important programme will propel Rwanda forward thus making it, probably the only country in Africa without grass-thatched housing that is often, if not always, associated with poverty and generally, poor hygiene”, he said.
In the course of the next two weeks, the Assembly shall consider important business for the Community including the 2nd and 3rd readings of the EAC Elections Bill, the EAC Service Commission Bill, the Inter-University Council of East Africa (Amendment) Bill respectively, EALA is also expected to debate and adopt various Committee Reports, as well as hold interactive sessions with the Members of both Houses of the Rwanda Parliament. The Assembly shall also participate in activities marking the commemoration of Genocide.
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For more Information, contact: Bobi Odiko, Senior Public Relations Officer; East African Legislative Assembly; Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945, +254-733-718036; Email: bodiko@eachq.org Web: https://www.eala.org Arusha, Tanzania
