ARCHITECTS in Tanzania will today decide on whether or not to open the local market for other players in the East African Community (EAC), through the Common Market Protocol’s Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).

Tanzania is the only country in the region that is yet to ink the agreement. Four of the EAC member states namely Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi signed the MRA way back in 2011 and thus allowing architects in those countries to practise their profession within the four countries, without subjecting them to further examination.

Speaking at a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the President of Architects’ Association of Tanzania (AAT), Architect Mbaraka Igangula, said members of the professional body will vote to decide if the country should sign the pact or not.

When the EAC Common Market Protocol was introduced in June, 2010, it emerged that the architectural work was not among the professions the country opened to other EAC members. Tanzania did not ink the agreement then and promised to sign later.

Asked on whether the AAT had conducted any study to ascertain whether the local players would lose or gain through the arrangement, he admitted that there was no research that was conducted regarding the matter.

“There is no study which has been conducted but there are still fears among local architects that if we open our boarders we will lose the market to our counterparts in the region.”

“There will be a seminar in Morogoro tomorrow (today) in which experts from the East African Business Council will educate us on advantages and disadvantages of signing the agreement,” Arch. Igangula told journalists.

Flanked by the Vice-President of AAT, Architect Henry Mwoleka, Arch. Igangula, said after the seminar the association will hold an annual general meeting in which members will cast a vote concerning the MRA.

“There will be as well an election of new president and other leaders of the association since my term is coming to an end. I have been the president of AAT for the past eight years,” he explained.

If Tanzania signs the document, local architects will not need a permit to operate within Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. On the other hand, Arch.

Igangula blamed poor planning in urban areas for traffic congestion, poor sewerage and drainage systems and thus called on authorities to consider opinions from experts in the construction industry.

He also challenged the government to amend the Building Act and its regulations in order to bring sanity into the construction industry.

Source: All Africa

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