The Irish Ambassador accredited to the East African Community has pledged her country’s support to the regional bloc’s projects and programmes through the EAC Partnership Fund.
Ambassador Fionnuala Gilsenan made the revelation during a meeting with the EAC Secretary General Amb Liberat Mfumukeko, held at the headquarters in Arusha.
Ambassador Gilsenan commended the impressive progress made by EAC, especially the finalization of ambitious Protocols and Policies. She emphasized the need of reaching and sensitizing the common citizenry of the real benefits of integration noting that lack of this was one of key reasons for Brexit.
She also informed Amb Mfumukeko that the decision by UK to exit EU would have great implications especially in Northern Ireland, which is still part of EU. On the Burundi Dialogue Process, the Ambassador underlined the need to have a strong dialogue plan that would accommodate the views of all stakeholders involved.
On his part the Secretary General and his guest discussed among other things the possible areas of cooperation especially in the implementation of the Common Market Protocol and in particular, the Free Movement of Persons.
Amb Mfumukeko informed the Ireland envoy that the implementation of the next EAC Development Strategy would commence in 2017 and the EAC was counting on Ireland’s support to realize its goals.
Commenting on the progress of the Burundi Peace Talks, Amb Mfumukeko updated Ms Gilsenan that former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who is also the facilitator for the Burundi Peace talks, had recently met a group of politicians in Brussels as a continuation of the consultations that had been held in Arusha in May.
He mentioned that the talks required further negotiations between all the parties involved and assured his counterpart that EAC was supporting an all-inclusive dialogue process.
On South Sudan, the Secretary General informed the Ireland Ambassador that South Sudan has been given six month to complete the ratification process of the Accession Treaty signed on 15th April 2016, after which the country will be a full member of the EAC.
