News
At last, Common Market becomes reality
Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Mwai Kibaki (Kenya) and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) at the signing of the EAC Common Market Protocol on Friday. Picture: Phoebe Okall
Posted Monday, November 23 2009 at 00:00
President Kagame said the protocol was a major milestone for the EAC and attested to its shedding of colonial boundaries and individualism and embracing of globalisation.
The Heads of State gave a deadline of six months for a detailed report on the timelines of the federation, and a Committee of Experts is to be formed immediately.
Also being fast-tracked is a grand free trade area from Cape Town to Cairo, bringing together the EAC, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa, and the South African Development Commission that will remove trade borders among 26 African countries.
A conference in March will fine-tune the document, to be signed by the presidents in April and become operational in December 2010.
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I'm also very impressed by the commitment and enthususiasm by the smaller states..Rwanda and Burundi. They'll act a s abig check if any silly ego is displayed by the bigger brothers..UG, KE and TZ. I'm happy that they are eager to learn Swahili and English so as to better integrate. The anglophone countries should also learn French but elevate Swahili as the main official language.
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