ARUSHA, Tanzania – The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), will hold sensitization workshops at Mutukula and Sirari/Isebania borders.

These will take place from April 16th to 17th and from 23rd to 24th April respectively.

The workshops are seen as a way to strengthen communication and sensitisation of EAC achievements and popularizing integration benefits to all East Africans.

Target groups include small traders, young entrepreneurs and women traders, will be conducted in a participatory manner with presentations on EAC policies, projects and programs.

“The potential for cross border trade and related economic impact at border communities are not entirely explored, because remote communities have very little or no knowledge of the integration or its benefits” Richard Owora, the Head of EAC Corporate Communications and Public Affairs said last week.

Special attention will be given to the free movement of goods, capital, persons and labour across EAC Partner States.

According to a release, the workshops will be complemented by trainings on customs clearing procedures, including payment of taxes and the consequences of crossing the border without a valid travel document.

Training guidelines will be developed to increase knowledge about cross-border trade for the selected target groups. EAC-GIZ will also be engaging community based media in disseminating EAC information, education and communication as a means of reaching out to more East Africans.

“With these workshops, border communities and the small traders will gain essential skills and knowledge from the best practices and lessons learned in the integration process,” Owora said.

He said, “EAC-GIZ sensitisation workshops at border communities will encourage ownership and protection of the integration process by EAC citizens.”

The first round of the sensitisation workshops were held between June and July 2014 along the Makamba border, between Burundi and Tanzania, and along the Rusumo border, between Tanzania and Rwanda.

As a result of these workshops, the local communities around these areas are reaping the rewards from the extended markets on both sides of their borders.

Source: East African Business Week

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