Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba has said that strategic partnerships are key to addressing global challenges.

Speaking while facilitating a session at the Retreat of the East Africa Community in Kigali on 10 February 2009, Mrs Masire-Mwamba  said the trans-national and global nature of the challenges facing the world today, such as financial crises, food and energy crises and the effects of climate change call for greater collaboration.

"These crises compel us to pool our resources and ideas together in order to effectively tackle them, because no one country, government or institution can do so single-handedly,” a statement by Commonwealth spokesperson for Africa, Julius Mucunguzi quoted her as having said.

The Deputy Secretary-General cited a recent meeting hosted by Commonwealth Secretary-General in London on ‘Realising the Development Dimensions of the Economic Partnership Agreements,’ whose objective was to provide views, concerns and vision regarding the future of trade between Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Union.”

The EAC was among the institutions that attended.

"Collaborations have of this nature have become the hallmark of our work with international and regional organisations. The objective is to enhance the global impact and reach of our activities in order to utilise resources in ways that avoid duplication,” she said.

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