By No 1 Citizen
East African Community (EAC) Partner States have been urged to eliminate all barriers hindering seamless transportation across the region to enhance cross-border trade and economic growth.
Speaking at Ministerial Session of the 19th EAC Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology in Mombasa, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Mr. Davis Chirchir, underscored the role of transportation in facilitating the movement of people, goods, services and resources and improving access to local and international markets.
Mr. Chirchir also emphasized the transformative power of digitalization in promoting connectivity and economic growth.
He noted that in today’s digital age, communication serves as the bridge connecting nations and entities, transcending geographical boundaries.
“It is through effective communication systems that we can share knowledge, foster innovation and build a cohesive community,” CS who chaired meeting, said.
He said that meteorology plays a critical role in the region’s ability to anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
“Accurate and timely meteorological data are therefore essential for planning and protecting our infrastructure, agriculture, and communities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the EAC Deputy Secretary General responsible for Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors, emphasized that the primary goal of investing in infrastructure development along the Northern and Central Transport Corridors is to improve the movement of people and boost intra-regional trade, which is currently low at just 15%.
“Intra-regional trade in the Europe, Asia and Latin America ranges at over 60%. Intra-regional trade can promote economic integration and development within a regional economic community, as well as increase trade flows and reduce dependence on external markets,” Hon. Ariik said.
Hon. Ariik disclosed that in rail transport, Partner States are pushing on with projects to actualize the East African Railways Network connected through the Standard Gauge Railway and hailed the United Republic of Tanzania for the recent launch of services between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma.
“A total of 1,120Km of SGR is operational in Kenya and Tanzania, a further 1,100km is undergoing construction in Tanzania and about 4000km is under project preparation in all Partner States. The EAC will harmonize the standards to ensure seamless operations across the regional network,” Hon. Ariik said .
The Deputy Secretary General said that to achieve seamless connectivity of the railway system, synergy must be built in joint resource mobilization to ensure there are no gaps that would render the programme ineffective.
Hon. Ariik said that for East Africa to cope with climate change and improve the safety of air transport, it must equip itself with automatic weather stations and to adopt quality management systems for Aeronautical Meteorological Services.
“So far, five Radar Stations and over 30 automatic weather stations have been added to the regional network,” he said.
“The modernization of meteorological services also depends on the institutional frameworks and currently, only three countries have autonomous agencies responsible for meteorological and hydrological services. It is important that the region moves as one in this respect,” Hon. Ariik added.