Posted on March, 1, 2019 at 09:40 am
PRESIDENT Ali Mohamed Shein yesterday opened the fourth meeting of the East African Legislative Assembly’s (EALA) second session, calling for more efforts to consolidate the Single Customs Territory.
Dr Shein hyped the single customs territory, saying it will facilitate fast clearance of goods and improve efficiency in customs administration.
He said the East African Community (EAC) members need to intensify efforts to full implementation of the Common Market Protocol to stimulate production and investment projects that encourage job creation, especially in industrialisation, innovation, SMEs and tourism.
“The small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) sector embodies tremendous potential and requires considerable support to generate jobs with dual effect of curbing unemployment on one hand and boosting economy on the other,” said President Shein.
He said EALA’s work is vital in creating legislative contexts that will affect the promotion of business environment for value added production and exports, along with hastening the pace towards making key legislations that shall further anchor the East African Monetary Union Protocol.
Before declaring the EALA Plenary sitting officially open, the isles president also said that a strong financial regulatory framework is equally important to isolate the block’s economies from illicit activities, including money laundering.
EALA members and invited guests from both government and Zanzibar assembly heard Dr Shein emphasising on the need to improve transportation infrastructure and ICT to facilitate and streamline trade and other interactions among people as essential tools for rapid development.
The Isles leader also called for concerted efforts to win the war against corruption, which corrodes the common good, “It impairs good governance. It impedes efforts to economic prosperity. It may be analogised with termites that can slowly and gradually eat up an upright standing piece of strong wood to its ultimate collapse.”
He described corruption is a menace, saying, “We should earnestly act against it and is encouraging seeing that different strategic measures are being taken by individual partner countries to combat the detrimental effects of corruption.”
Zanzibar, he said, has established a special body—Zanzibar Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Authority (ZAECA)—to deal and combat the malpractice, involving ordinary people because the government acknowledges the fact that anti-corruption war needs citizens’ engagement.
He said the union government under President John Magufuli has intensified the battle against corruption, with evident outcomes.
Dr Shein said, “The launch of Phase III 2017-2022 National Anti- Corruption Strategy and Action Plan gave rise to the establishment of Economic, Corruption and Organised Crime Division of the High Court as well as the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).”
Dr Shein proudly said that it is encouraging to know that the EAC maintained its position as the fastest growing sub region in Africa, with accelerated growth rate of 4.6 per cent in 2017 compared to 4.4 in 2016.
“This milestone has influenced the growth of the Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP of 2.7 per cent in 2017 compared to 1.4 of 2016,” he said.
“This achievement can reach greater heights in the years to come if, among other things, we become vigilant of corruption and strongly abide by the principal values that guide our work within the community,” he said as the EALA Speaker, Mr Martin Ngoga thanked authorities in
Tanzania for continued good relations.
Source: Daily News