Market driven integration will top the sixth annual East African Community (EAC) Secretary General’s Forum slated for Nairobi early next week.

The forum, which has been held every year since 2012, aims at providing an opportunity to the private sector, civil society and other interest groups to share experiences on regional integration efforts.

It is convened by the EAC secretariat in collaboration with the Regional Dialogue Committee, which comprises members from partner states. "This year’s forum will review the work plan and progress reports on the consultative dialogue framework for the private sector, civil society and interest groups,” EAC said in a statement yesterday. The framework was adopted during a recent meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers, which is the policy organ of the six-nation community.

About 100 delegates drawn from the private sector and civil society organisations as well as professional bodies, media, trade unions and EAC institutions are expected at the two-day meeting, which will start on July 23. Themed "Strategising for Impact:People-Centred and Market-Driven Integration’ the forum is expected to redefine the way forward in the EAC integration efforts.

Through consultation and dialogue, non-state actors and EAC and partner states officials are expected to agree on concrete policy measures on issues pertaining to integration.

Holding of the annual forum among key players in the EAC integration process was endorsed by the EAC Council of Ministers in 2012 and since then five EAC SG’s forums have been held in different capitals.