The Secretary General (SG)of East African community (EAC), Liberat Mfumukeko has said that the Bill for the establishment of the East African Monetary Institute (EAMI) has been assented to by the Summit of Heads of State, adding that the EAMI would later be transformed into the East African Central Bank that would issue the single currency.

EAC Partner States are in the process of harmonizing critical policies and putting in place the requisite institutions to attain a single currency for the region by 2024 as outlined in the EAC Monetary Union Protocol.

“The establishment of this institute will help to provide impetus towards the formation of the East African Monetary Union, which is the third pillar of our integration,” said Mfumukeko.

Amb. Mfumukeko disclosed that the Council of Ministers had approved the EAC Domestic Tax Harmonization Policy, adding that proper implementation of the policy would reduce tax competition thereby enhancing cross-border trade and investment in the region.

On the Financial Sector, the SG said that the Community had developed requisite legal instruments (Bills) for the insurance and microfinance sub-sector and strategies for implementation of financial education and insurance certification.

“Further, we implemented the financial market infrastructure for payment and settlement systems as well as finalized regional regulations for portability of pension benefits and consumer protection,” he added.

Mfumukeko was giving his New Year’s Address to the Staff of EAC Organs and Institutions spread across East Africa from the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

He said that Community would have in place an EAC Investment Helpdesk and a Buyer-Seller Online Platform by June 2020.

“Both facilities will increase intra-EAC trade by creating awareness and markets for products manufactured within the EAC region.”

The Community, with US$20 million support spread over five years the World Bank, had also operationalized an EAC Statistics Development and Harmonization Regional Project.

“The project will support production of quality and harmonized statistics in the region through capacity building in the National Statistical Offices of the Partner States and the EAC Secretariat as well as support the establishment of the EAC Bureau of Statistics,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.

On the East African Court of Justice, the SG disclosed that sub-registries opened in the Partner States’ capital cities had elevated the visibility of the Court and reduced the costs of litigation and access to justice to the citizens of the Community.

“The residents can now easily take advantage of the Court and have their disputes resolved. In addition, the finalization of the review of the EACJ Rules of Procedure in 2019 will now provide seamless procedures to the benefit of the litigants,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.

On fisheries, the SG revealed that the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) updated the status of fish stocks on the lake registering a 21 per cent increase in total biomass to 2.68 million metric tonnes between 2018 and 2019.

“The Nile Perch population increased by 48 per cent, from 0.55 million to 0.82 million metric tonnes over the same period. LVFO also revised Co-Management Guidelines for Lake Victoria, which provide for enhanced participation of stakeholders in fisheries management as well as capacity of fish traders and inspectors to promote market access, improved revenue collection and enhanced fish quality and safety assurance.”

LVFO received funds from the EU for a Start-up Phase of ECOFISH Project to enable consultations with key stakeholders to facilitate development of the detailed programme for enhancing regional policies and institutional frameworks.

The SG urged all EAC Staff to rededicate themselves to serving the region, a task he described as a privilege, adding that they had been recruited competitively based on their unique skills and expertise.

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The NWSC Kampala Water management team has embarked on a project aimed at stabilizing the water levels at Muyenga bulk water reservoirs and subsequently boost water supply to some parts of the city experiencing supply challenges during this dry season.

The project involves laying new steel transmission mains between reservoirs, system reconfiguration works at the Rubaga- Muyenga water reservoirs and associated water distribution installations along the network.

When completed, the intervention will allow for operational flexibility and a better supply situation during the dry season

Kampala Water General Manager Eng. Mahmood Lutaaya assured city dwellers that the corporation is working around the clock to stabilize water supply in the city.

“We are experiencing high demand for services during this dry season. Whilst we produce 240million liters of water per day, the current demand for water during this peak season is about 330 million liters per day,” he said.

He said some customers in Buwaate, Nansana and the surrounding areas, Kyengera, Gayaza, Kanyanya, Namasuba, Rubaga and Mutungo service areas are experiencing water supply challenges.

We are working on a number of interventions to bridge the supply gaps and serve our customers better,” he said.

Kampala Water Senior Manager Water Supply Eng. Moses Bigabwa said that the corporation is working on a new water works in Katosi that is near completion.

The combined water production from Katosi and Ggaba water works will cater for the demand for water services in the city up to the year 2040.

“Kampala is no longer the 7 hills we knew. Currently, the Kampala network serves customers as far as Wakiso, Namawojjolo, Mukono among others areas in the peripheral of the network. We are working on a number of interventions to address the supply challenges in some parts of the city very soon,” he said.

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The US Commerce Department has withdrawn proposals to tighten restrictions on US firms selling to Huawei, the Wall Street Journal reports. People familiar with the matter said the plans were blocked by the Defense Department, which is concerned about the impact on tech firms from the loss of sales to Huawei.

The Pentagon is concerned that if US firms can’t continue to ship to Huawei, they will lose a key source of revenue, depriving them of money for research and development needed to maintain a technological edge, the report said. The chip industry has pressed that argument in talks with government officials.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said “we have to be conscious of sustaining those [technology] companies’ supply chains and those innovators”. He was asked about the WSJ report during an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

After the paper reported on the Pentagon’s action, US Senators Ben Sasse, Tom Cotton and Marco Rubio sent a letter to Esper asking him to explain his rationale. They have pushed for a harder stance against Huawei, calling it “an arm of the Chinese Communist Party”. Huawei has repeatedly denied such a connection.

Support for new suppliers

Separately, the US government is exploring how it could help companies produce hardware that could compete with Huawei on 5G within 18 months, a senior administration official said. Discussions include government and corporate representatives from Japan and other democratic countries, the official said.

That effort would help the US persuade other nations, including the UK and Germany, to bar Huawei equipment from their networks, the official said.

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