Private Sector Leaders Meet the President Elect in Kenya

On March 13th 2013, the president-elect of Kenya, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy requested to meet the private sector leaders under the flagship of KEPSA. The meetings aim was to introduce the office of the president-elect and highlight what they have envisioned for businesses. The overarching discussion was how to improve the public-private partnership working mechanism that has been in existence and how to make sure that the economy attains its GDP growth of 10% from the current 4.5%. KEPSA took the opportunity to present NBA 2 which is the agenda for business after a successful engagement with Government on NBA 1 for the last 5 years. Carole Kariuki, KEPSA CEO begun by introducing the KEPSA officials who represent the various sectors of the economy. She also asked the president-elect and his deputy to continue engaging with KEPSA as they have done in the past during their different designations in cabinet positions. She highlighted the need to continue the engagement they had started under the Public Private Dialogue (PPD) structure. She noted that this engagement will enhance an enabling business environment for the next 5 years.

EABC TO HOST A REGIONAL PRIVATE SECTOR CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON SERVICES INTEGRATION IN THE EAC

EABC TO HOST A REGIONAL PRIVATE SECTOR CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON SERVICES INTEGRATION IN THE EAC 20TH-22ND MARCH 2013, DAR ES SALAAM TANZANIA In furtherance of their mission to promote a competitive East African Community (EAC) private sector through addressing factors that impede the flow of goods and services, East African Business Council (EABC) supported by the African Capacity Building Foundation, the International Trade Centre (ITC), TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty (ILEAP), will host Regional Private Sector Consultative Meeting on Services Integration in the EAC on 20th - 22nd March 2013, Dar es salaam Tanzania. The main objective of the consultative meeting is to bring together regional stakeholders from the private to discuss and develop a regional sector position on the issue of services integration under the EAC Common Market. Specifically, the meeting aims: a. To sensitize the private sector on the movement of services under the common market protocol; b. To equip participants with information and ideas to help the private sector as a whole make its case for liberalization of Mode 4 in a way that will help ease trade between EAC Partner states and improve the competitiveness of private sector service suppliers; c. To enhance the capacity of the participants to lobby Policy makers to undertake and implement commitments that will be commercially meaningful for the EAC Private Sector; and d. To discuss and build consensus on the issues of concern and agree on the way forward The meeting will bring together around 80 participants from Private Sector firms and associations active in the area of trade in services, select researchers & practitioners on trade in services, representatives from the EAC Secretariat, development partners and other relevant stakeholders.

Regional Private Sector Consultative Meeting on Services Integration in the EAC

EABC supported by its partners, the Africa Capacity building foundation, the Internationa Trade Centre, TradeMark East African and Interntation Lawyers and Economists Against Poveryt, is orgnizing this meeting between 20th – 22nd March 2013 in Dar es Salaam to identify private sector priorities in this debate to ensure that their views considered and adequately addressed by EAC policy makers. BACKGROUND In line with Articles 5 and 76 of the Treaty of the East African Community (EAC), Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda negotiated a Common Market Protocol (CMP) which came into force on 1st July 2010. Under the CMP, EAC Partner States have committed to progressively liberalize trade in services in accordance with the negotiated commitments made under Annex V of the Protocol. To date, Partner States have made liberalization commitments in 7 services sectors, namely: business services; distribution services; educational services; financial services; communication services; tourism and travel related services; and transport services. Additional commitments are to be undertaken in successive rounds of negotiations. Services liberalization presents many opportunities for the economic development in the EAC, since the services sector is the cornerstone of all other economic activities. For instance: Transport, communications, distribution, energy related services, construction, water supply, sanitation and sewerage services provide the basic economic infrastructure; Banking, insurance and financial markets cater for the financial infrastructure of the economy; Advertising, marketing, computer services and professional services deliver business support; and Education, health and social services are the fabric of social infrastructure. As key inputs to all other sectors of the economy with direct contribution to employment and investment, services constitute the most dynamic sector, offering substantial growth potential to Partner States’ economies. In the EAC, services contribute a significant and growing portion of the gross domestic product, averaging around 50%. OBJECTIVE The main objective of the meeting is to help private sector participants understand the issues concerning services under the Common Market Protocol and form a view on whether the regime is sufficient to remove impediments to trade in services. Specifically, a. To sensitize the private sector on the movement of services under the common market protocol; b. To equip participants with information and ideas to help the private sector as a whole make its case for liberalization of Mode 4 in a way that will help ease trade between EAC Partner states and improve the competitiveness of private sector service suppliers; c. To enhance the capacity of the participants to lobby Policy makers to undertake and implement commitments that will be commercially meaningful for the EAC Private Sector; and d. To discuss and build consensus on the issues of concern agree on the way forward PARTICIPATION AND ORGANIZATION The meeting will be a three day event, which will be held in March 2013 in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. The event will bring together 80 participants from private sector firms and associations active in the area of trade in services, EAC Partner State experts and officials,

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