EAC urges Africa to implement single air transport agreement
The Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC), Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki has called on the African leaders to prioritise the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement.
He made the remarks during the 7th Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) last week in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a statement released by the EAC, Dr. Mathuki stated that the use of SAATM could reduce the costs of air transport in Africa and augment development.
He maintained that air cargo in Africa accounted for 2% of the global air cargo due to its high costs, making it inaccessible to many citizens.
“These costs can be brought down if we have political commitment to implement the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement,” he noted.
The EAC Secretary General confided that investing in infrastructure has resulted in a significant improvement in bridging the infrastructural gap leading to a reduction of transport costs.
“These investments have yielded impressive results; for instance, the transit time from Mombasa to Kampala has improved from 20 days in 2010 to an average of 6 days in 2021, with a resultant cost reduction from US$3,500 in 2010 to US$2,200 in 2021,” he added.
“The use of technology at OSBPs has improved sharing and exchange of information among agencies, enhanced border security, reduced processing times at the border transit times for traders and transporters, and enhanced the reliability of the supply chain through streamlined and harmonised procedures.”
Mathuki said technology had helped in the implementation of vital initiatives such as Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTs), Single Customs Territory (SCT), as well as the upgrading of Customs Management Systems.
The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development, Raila Odinga, said African leaders should lobby for funds to facilitate connectivity in the continent.
“Africa needs to create an enabling environment with bankable projects to get funding for infrastructure projects,” he noted.
The Commissioner of the African Union Commission, Amani Abou-Zeid said the partnership should be given an upper hand to reflect Africa’s infrastructure priorities from 2021to 2030.
Economic partnership
Last week, the East African Community (EAC) said it was in talks with the European Union over the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to boost trade and development between the two unions, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Partner States.
Dr. Mathuki during the EU-AU Summit in Brussels stated that the EU-EAC EPA includes trading in goods, fisheries, agriculture, institutional provisions, dispute settlement, economic and development cooperation.
“The summit recognised the importance of some partner states to moving forward and concluded that the partner states who wish to do so should be able to commence engagements with the EU to start the EU-EAC-EPA implementation under the principle of variable geometry,” Dr. Mathuki noted.
The EPA is affected to address the production, supply, and trading capacity of the EAC partner states which will aid the EAC regional integration and development.
Regional trade
In his New Year message, Dr. Mathuki, said one of the strategic plans of the regional bloc in 2022 was to boost regional integration.
He said the community would strive to champion Intra-EAC trade, enabling regional mobility of people, goods, and services, market expansion, and promoting peace and security.
“A new year offers us a new chapter to hit the reset button, craft a new course for our prosperity, and build back better. Despite a challenging and tumultuous 2021, we remained resilient and committed in our quest to widen and deepen economic, political, social, and cultural integration t improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa, “he said.
“Our core focus in 2022 will be to continue deepening regional integration to ensure enhanced intra-EAC trade, ease regional movement of persons, services, and goods, widen markets and promote peace and security for a strengthened bloc.”
The EAC Secretary-General called upon the partner states to observe safety measures to mitigate the effects of the Omicron variant for effective economic recovery.
“With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases occasioned by the new Omicron variant, I urge you all to remain vigilant and protect yourselves and those around you. Together, we shall defeat the virus,” he said.
“The EAC deeply appreciates all our partners and stakeholders for their dedication to the regional integration agenda and looks forward to your continued cooperation and synergy as we welcome the New Year. It is my hope and prayer that 2022 will be a more bountiful year, especially with the anticipated entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the EAC family.”
