EAC faced with several challenges

While responding to MPs’ questions this September 5th, the Burundian Minister in charge of the EAC Affairs has said many challenges hinder the full integration of the community.

Isabelle Ndahayo says the East African Community is faced with financial problems

Isabelle Ndahayo says some of the decisions taken by EAC institutions are not implemented due to the lack of will by member states.
“There is lack of follow-up of many projects,” she says.

For her, some countries do not accept that the community’s decisions be implemented because they are different from the internal political or legal context of each country.

Terrorism is one of the challenges that some East African countries are faced with, she adds.

This Minister in charge of EAC affairs says there are member states of the community which have culture-based laws. “It is difficult to convince those countries to adapt their laws to the EAC ones,” she adds
“The EAC is also faced with financial problems,” she says adding that diplomatic relations between some EAC members are not good.

Pascal Nyabenda, President of Burundi National Assembly, says the financial contribution that every country is expected to give should not be equal since some member countries are richer than others.

“The free movement of students from one member state to another should be supported,” he says adding that French should be fully integrated in languages used in the community.

MP Pamphile Malayika says the project of customs union is a paradox in the East African Community. “Some countries still do not allow their products or harvest to be exported to other countries of the same community,” he says.

He also deplores the fact that Burundians work few hours a day whereas in some countries people work 24 hours.

He recommends the free movement of people and goods among countries of the EAC.

“The East African Community seems to be more in texts than in people’s minds,” says MP Léopold Hakizimana.

He calls on the ministry in charge of the East African Community Affairs to teach citizens about the integration of Burundi in the Community.

The East African Community is a regional intergovernmental organization of six partner states comprising Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.