EAC LEADERS TO DEBATE FINANCING MECHANISMS

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to hand 
over the EAC chair to Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete.

Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) partner states are expected to meet in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, this week, for a summit that will, among others, discuss sustainable financing mechanisms for bloc’s activities.

In a statement, released Monday, the Minister for EAC Affairs, Mr Valentine Rugwabiza, said the new financing mechanisms are expected to be presented as per a directive by the Summit in November 2013 that tasked the Council of Ministers to present a report on alternative financing mechanisms, including the option of one per cent of imports from outside EAC.
This is one of the ways the bloc is looking at to reduce overreliance on donor aid, where going by the 2014/15 Budget passed by the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), last year, out of the total budget of $124 million, member states contributed $41.9 million, while $73.2 million came from donors.

Other areas to be discussed include the creation of the One-Area Network that will ease telecommunication by residents in the five partner states.

READ: Mobile traffic up as One Network Area comes into effect

ALSO READ: One Network Area takes off in full force as Uganda joins

The meeting will also consider the appointment of a new deputy secretary-general from Burundi to replace Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, whose tenure of office will end in April.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to hand over the EAC chair to Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete.

The Summit was postponed from November last year as President Kikwete could not attend.

READ: EAC Secretariat to decide on next Summit

The East African