Burundi’s president Evariste Ndayishimiye is now the chairman of the East African Community Heads of State summit after Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta’s one year tenure came to an end.
“We need to showcase what we can produce so we won’t need to import some goods from China or other countries outside the continent,” said Burundi president Evariste Ndayishimiye while addressing the participants in Arusha.
“We need a free movement of goods and persons in the region, our citizen needs to feel the integration like a good example of Tanzania and Burundi where we have Ujirani Mwema,” said President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Burundi is now expected to be chairing all the community meetings for a period of one year according to the protocol for establishing of the East African Community, after president Evariste Ndayishimiye took over the chairmanship from his counterpart president Uhuru Kenyatta.
The main Organs of the EAC are the Summit, the Council of Ministers, the Co-ordinating Committee, the Sectoral Committees, the East African Court of Justice, the East African Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat.
“The summit directed all partner states to ratify all outstanding agreements and protocols and deposit with the Secretary General the instruments of ratification by 31st December, 2022,” part of the communique read.
As Democratic Republic of Congo was recently admitted to the bloc becoming the seventh member, Somalia is now seeking to join the community after president Hasan Sheikh Mohamud called for the admission of his country during the EAC Heads of State retreat last Thursday in Arusha.
“I am here standing infront of you requesting officially on behalf of the Somali people we need to join this great community it will be a dream come true the day that Somalia will access officially to this great community,” said the Somalia president Hasan Sheikh Mohamud.
“The summit noted that the verification exercise for the admission of the federal republic of Somalia into the EAC had not been undertaken and directed the council to expeditiously fastrack the verification exercise,” part of the communique reads.
The Summit comprising of Heads of Government of Partner States gives strategic direction towards the realisation of the goal and objectives of the Community.
While the Council of Ministers is the central decision-making and governing Organ of the EAC. Its membership constitutes Ministers or Cabinet Secretaries from the Partner States whose dockets are responsible for regional co-operation.
Every year, the Council meets twice, one meeting of which is held immediately preceding a meeting of the Summit. The Council meetings assist in maintaining a link between the political decisions taken at the Summits and the day-to-day functioning of the Community.
Regulations, directives and decisions taken or given by the Council are binding to the Partner States and to all other Organs and Institutions of the Community other than the Summit, the Court and the Assembly.
The Council each year elects a Chairperson by rotation to serve a one-year term to the office of Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.
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