Kigali, 29 March 2019
President Kagame today opened a one-day Strategic Retreat of the Council of Ministers and Heads of Organs and Institutions of the East African Community (EAC) convening in Kigali.
Rwanda, as the current EAC chair, has convened a Strategic Retreat of the EAC Council of Ministers and Heads of EAC organs and institutions, aimed at brainstorming, planning and strategising on how better the EAC can deliver on its core objectives.
The strategic retreat is designed to help in delivering value on important aspects of the EAC integration, and will be divided into three sessions: State of implementation of the EAC integration pillars; Management and coordination of EAC organs and institutions in advancing the integration agenda; Role and expectations of the private sector and civil society in the EAC integration.
In his opening remarks, President Paul Kagame, who is the Chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State, highlighted that the community cannot afford to be left behind, or be the one to delay the rest of Africa in the continent’s quest for sustainable development.
“In fact, the East African Community has what it takes to actually lead this process. Our goal is to be a dynamic, prosperous, people-centered private-sector led region. We have to facilitate this by listening to what the business community and ordinary citizens are telling us, and find a way to meet their expectations. Only by working together will we spur innovation, create employment and generate the wealth needed to transform our East Africa. Getting these things right, and steering the Community in the right direction is the best gift we can give the citizens of the East African Community,” President Kagame said.
Participants to the Retreat will adopt a report containing recommendations and the timeline of their implementation. The report will be submitted to the Council of Ministers and to EAC organs and institutions for consideration and implementation. The Chairperson of the Council will present a progress report at every EAC summit.
Participants to the retreat in Kigali are also scheduled to join Government officials as well as residents of Kicukiro District in the monthly community exercise “Umuganda” on Saturday 30 March 2019 at the Nyanza Genocide Memorial.