Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) has announced a Sh24million grant to improve participation of civil society in policy formulation at the Port of Mombasa and regional integration.
The TMA yesterday signed a partnership agreement with the East African Civil Society Organisations’ Forum (EACSOF) Kenya Chapter for sensitisation with the ultimate aim of improving efficiency of the port.
The EACSOF is an autonomous umbrella body for civil society organisations in Kenya with a mission to drive people-centered cooperation and integration in East Africa.
Under the agreement, the civil society’s role will be to ensure that the communities are informed of the operations, opportunities and benefits of the port to their overall well-being.
Further, they are expected to contribute towards creating openness and transparency at the port in to minimise disruptions and suspicions among neighbouring communities around the port.
Speaking during the signing ceremony the TMA chief executive Frank Matsaert said the deliberate efforts will contribute to enhanced productivity of the port.
“The process will enable a win-win situation for both the port and the local communities,” he said.
The project will be implemented for a period of two years and is expected to see the port management incorporate suggestions by the community as priority into the port plans.
The partnership was initiated on realisation that opportunities provided by Consultative Dialogue Framework (CDF) managed to drive minimal participation across the region.
The dismal participation by CSOs in the CDF process has majorly been linked to weak capacity of the coordinating institutions.
A scoping study commissioned by the TMA in 2012 revealed that CSOs had no structured frameworks for engaging in the Mombasa port reform agenda.
The report recommended for the establishment of coordinated structures and action networks to enable the CSOs to effectively participate in the port reform initiatives.
Source: Business Daily
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