Arusha — South Sudan, the newest but troubled African State which had also applied to join the Arusha-pivoted, East African Community has announced that, the country will need five more years to sensitize its citizens before becoming the sixth member of the EAC.

Official reports from the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha are to the effect that South Sudan’s council of ministers approved the country’s bid to join the EAC, but insisted its government needed five years to sensitise citizens on the benefits and risks of becoming a member.

The council, recently chaired by President Salva Kiir, reportedly listened to a memo presented by the presidential advisor and economic affairs, Mr Aggrey Tisa Sabuni that the government must prepare its people on the risks of joining the community as well informing them on the benefits that the citizens of South Sudan are going to gain, as far as the Deputy Information Minister, Racheal Nyadak, is concerned.

Meanwhile, the Royal Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania also accredited to the EAC bloc, Ms Hanne-Marie Kaarstad, has paid a courtesy call on Dr Richard Sezibera, the Secretary General of the East African Community.

The Secretary General and his guest discussed a wide range of issues geared towards deepening cooperation between Norway and the East African Community.

Ms Hanne-Marie Kaarstad also briefed the Secretary General about the pending visit by the Royal Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Monica Meland to the EAC Headquarters in September 2015.

Later, Dr Richard Sezibera and Ambassador Hanne-Marie Kaarstad signed a new cooperation Agreement between East African Community (EAC) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which Norway has committed an additional Norwegian Krone (NOK) 20 million to support EAC projects and programmes under the EAC Partnership Fund.

In yet another development, the Danish envoy to Tanzania, who is also accredited to the EAC, Ambassador Johnny Flento, paid a farewell visit to the EAC Secretary General, Dr Richard Sezibera.

Ambassador Flento, who was accredited to the EAC on 8th March 2012, is moving to the Republic of Mozambique having spent four years in the United Republic of Tanzania.

During his tenure as the EAC Ambassador, he had the honour of accompanying the former Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning Schmidt on a courtesy visit to EAC Secretariat on the 8th of March 2013.

Sezibera briefed his guest on the latest developments in the regional integration process including the launch of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) by the COMESA-EAC-SADC Heads of State and Government on 10 June, 2015 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The Secretary General noted that the (TFTA) represented an integrated market of 26 countries with a combined population of 632 million people, or 57 per cent of Africa’s population.

It also provides a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD$ 1.3 Trillion (2014), contributing to 58 per cent of Africa’s GDP.

He further added that the establishment of the TFTA will bolster intra-regional trade by creating a wider market, increase investment flows, enhance competitiveness and encourage regional infrastructure development as well as pioneer the integration of the African continent.

Source: All Africa

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