The Kenya Association of Manufacturers, the representative organization for manufacturing industries in Kenya, has confirmed plans to deepen its trade relations with other members of the East African Community (EAC).

The East African Community is a regional intergovernmental organisation of 6 Partner States, including: the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

In line with these developments, Dr. Susan Komen Koech, Principal Secretary for the State Department of the EAC in Kenya, recently held a consultative meeting with the Ministry of EAC and Regional Development in Kenya and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, led by its Chairman, Sachen Gudka.

Dr. Koech, along with representatives from both sides, discussed issues of trade in the region that are of concern to Kenyan manufacturers.

“Our main goal is to provide a conducive environment for Kenyans to trade in the EAC region,” Dr. Koech explained.

Her sentiments come at a time when the East African Community has been making major moves within the region and abroad.

In fact, on the same day, officers from different ministries, along with the Ministry of EAC and Regional Development in Kenya, discussed a proposed EAC Mining Bill before forwarding it to East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the legislative arm of the East African Community.

During the same week, the EAC Bureau of Speakers also met on the sidelines of the 139th IPU Assembly in Geneva. The IPU Assembly (formerly known as the Inter-Parliamentary Conference) is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on political issues. It brings together parliamentarians to study international problems and make recommendations for action.

The EAC Speakers discussed pertinent integration matters and approved Burundi as the next host for the Inter-Parliamentary Games.

The Games are a key aspect building on relations between the EALA and the National Parliaments in the region. They are held annually and on a rotational mode in the partner states.

Source Footprints to Africa

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