Integration to boost regional markets in East African Community, says Museveni

By Andrew Alibaku

President Museveni said the integration of the seven East African Community member states will boost regional markets for the agricultural and industrial products manufactured in the region.

President Museveni in his speech read by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Rebecca Kadaga said the EAC integration is very important in creation and promotion of markets for the goods across the region.

“Integration is very important because of the market for example Uganda’s market only for 44m people is too small to guarantee prices for goods and services that people of Uganda produce.This is good for self-economic transformation to enable to create access for bigger markets for Uganda’s export base of agricultural goods and industrial good like still products ,plastics across East Africa Community”, said Mr Museveni.

The President made the remarks on Friday during the closing of the 12th Edition of the East Africa Community Armed Forces Field Training Exercise(FTX) USHIRIKIANO IMARA 2022 that has drawn 1533 troops from the members states who have been training at Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja City.

The exercise started on May 27 at Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre [URDCC] Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja City.It drew troops from Uganda [362], Kenya [244], South Sudan [225], Tanzania [244], Rwanda [231], Burundi [227] and Democratic Republic of Congo [10].

Mr Museveni who congratulated Democratic Republic of Congo for becoming a member of the EAC, thanked the head of States for sending the troops for the training aimed at promoting peace ,security and stability towards the EAC integration.

However,Ms Kadaga said Kiswahili language should be compulsory taught in schools to add up to the four subjects in the primary schools.

Ms Kadaga said when a survey was conducted within EAC,the country that came last was Uganda.

“Kiswahili was born in Zanzibar grew up on the mainlands of Tanzania matured in Kenya fell sick in Rwanda and Burundi went to intensive care in DR Congo and got severe heart attack died and buried here in Uganda,” the former Speaker of Parliament said.

She told the gathering that her department is working on the matter to see that the issue is corrected and welcomed the public on July 7th 2022 for the first celebration of International day of Kiswahili in Uganda.

The Joint Chief of Staff Maj Gen Leopold Eric Kyanda of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces who represented the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Wilson Mbadi said the training was to prepare the EAC states in Peace support operations, disaster management, counter terrorism and counter piracy in order to solve security challenges within the region.

The event was attended by several dignitaries from all member states among them Ministers ,ambassadors,Resident District Commissioners,Political leadership,Resident City Commissioners and Deputies,religious leaders and Members of Parliament.