President Yoweri Museveni is set to address members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) tomorrow at State House as he officially opens their plenary session in Uganda.
This announcement was made by EALA Speaker, Rt. Hon. Joseph Ntakirutimana, during a press briefing at Parliament today. The session, which will last 21 days, is expected to include debates on the Presidential address, the tabling of several Bills, and an opportunity for Ugandans to petition the Assembly.
Ntakirutimana emphasized that while the East African Community (EAC) faces numerous trade challenges, such issues are not unique to the region. “Each member state—Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania—faces hurdles at their borders, but we are working diligently to resolve them.
It took the European Union decades to address similar problems, and our aim is to ensure that East Africa does not face a 50-year delay in finding solutions,” he noted.
One of the primary obstacles to trade integration in the region has been the presence of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which arise when different countries enforce varying standards.
Ntakirutimana highlighted that over the past five years, 590 NTBs have been addressed. He also revealed that EALA is drafting a Bill to harmonize standards across the region in an effort to reduce these barriers further.
Hon. Suleiman Shabhal, Chairperson of EALA’s Committee of Communication, Trade, and Investment, encouraged Ugandans to focus on the progress made in removing NTBs rather than the ongoing conflicts.
“These trade disputes are difficult to resolve and take time, just as it did for the European Union,” he explained. Shabhal also disclosed that EALA’s recent oversight visits to ports and borders helped identify and address many of the region’s trade barriers.