EABC to bring together key decision makers
By: Erasto Jones, Arusha
THE East African Business Council (EABC) in collaboration with
the East African Community plans to hold a business convention which will bring
together key decision-makers in the region’s public and private sectors with a
view of promoting good working relationship between the two sectors.
According to a statement issued by the EABC information office, under the
arrangement dubbed "Smart Partnership", EABC hopes to bring to a round-table,
presidents of the EAC partner-states, ministers and permanent secretaries and
the business leaders in East Africa, to discuss and come up with concrete
solution to issues of concern to the private sector. The first meeting is slated
for the second half of this year.
The Council will be meeting Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in Kampala
in two weeks to sell the idea. Presidents Mwai Emilio Kibaki of Kenya and
Benjamin William Mkapa will also be consulted.
"…..The initiative is part of EABC’s wider private-public sector partnership
programme, which is aimed at promoting the spirit of dialogue between the public
and private sector, and in the process help drive home its agenda" the statement
points out.
There are also plans to promote dialogue with partner-states at the national and
regional levels.
The EABC was part of the fact-finding mission that was on a whirlwind tour of
five cities in the region last week, to get feed back from the business
community on the progress of the implementation of the East Africa Community
Customs Union.
Dar es Salaam hosted the first workshop on January 31, 2005, and was followed by
Zanzibar and Mombasa. Nairobi held the workshop on February February 3, 2005 and
Kampala on February 4, 2005.
EABC also plans to carry out a private sector competitiveness needs assessment
which once implemented will improve the competitiveness of firms in the region
and globally. Under this initiative, the organisation will identify growth areas
in selected sectors and benchmark them against potential demand both within the
region and globally.
It will also initiate competitive network groups with the aim of identifying and
making known to firms, existing business opportunities.
Meanwhile, the East African Business Council has launched a study on Business
Climate Index (BCI). The study seeks to set up a mechanism identification,
removal and monitoring of non-tariff barriers. The findings of the study will be
presented to the EAC’s Trade and Investment Committee in the next two weeks it
has been learnt.
Pix caption:.......
EABC Chairman Mr. Hirji Shah (Centre) addressing Businessmen who turned up at
Uganda Manufacturers' Association (UMA) Conference Hall in Kampala on February
4, 2005, to voice their concerns about the Implementation of EAC Customs Union.
On the right is Mr. Peter Kiguta, EAC's Director General in charge of Customs
and on the right is Mr. Peter Malinga, Commissioner for Customs at the Uganda
Revenue Authority. (Picture Courtesy of EABC)
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