By Peace Viko
The East African Community (EAC) recently convened in Arusha to discuss customs and trade policies focusing on enhancing regional integration and trade facilitation.
The meeting was attended by Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Customs, technical experts from Customs from all the partner states, the Ministry of Finance, Ministry for EAC Affairs and officials from the EAC Secretariat.
The East African Community’s (EAC) Secretary General, Her Excellency Veronica M. Nduva, and Deputy Secretary General, Mrs. Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, were also in attendance at the meeting.
The Deputy Secretary General- Mrs. Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, acknowledged the presence of the EAC Partner States’ Commissioners of Customs noting that it is an indication of their strong commitment to propel Customs related issues and Trade in the EAC regional integration agenda.
In her remarks, Her Excellency Veronica M. Nduva welcomed the delegates and highlighted the four pillars of EAC integration: The Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and Political Federation. She also emphasized that the first two pillars are obligations, while the latter are ambitions of the EAC Integration. These pillars represent the East African nations’ commitment to shared economic progress, social development, and political cooperation.
“We are obligated to ensure that our people, our goods and our services freely move across our borders and aspire for this to be borderless”, she said
The meeting which was chaired by Ag. Commissioner Customs Department Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Hajji. Asadu Kigozi Kisitu, considered the current status on previous decisions and directives of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) as well as the Sectoral Committee on Customs.
Further discussions focused on the Implementation of the Single Customs Territory, Procedure and Facilitation matters, Compliance and Enforcement matters, Tariff and Valuation matters and Capacity Building activities.
The Sectoral Committee on Customs made several recommendations for consideration to SCTFI which is the policy making body of the EAC.
