WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU – The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) wants free movement of labour within its member countries. The bloc also wants uniform working hours at border points of all member countries.

These were some of the proposals which surfaced at a meeting of the community’s directors of migration services and commissioner generals held at Belivedere Hotel in Gisenyi, on Wednesday.

CEPGL brings together  Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of  Congo(DRC) as member states.

Speaking to journalists at the start of a two-day meeting which ended yesterday, the CEPGL’s Executive Secretary, Gabriel Toyi explained that the  meeting closely looked at addressing the limitations on the free movement of goods and labour.

During the discussions, the DRC announced that it had waived the entry visa of 30 dollars charged on Burundians, as a demonstration to allow free movement of citizens from member countries.

Rwanda, which was represented at the Wednesday meeting by the Director of Immigration and Emigration, Anaclet Kalibata, offered a 90 day free stay to the nationals from the CEPGL countries without a visa, and waived work permit visa to Burundians.

Calling on member countries to strengthen cooperation, the meeting called for efforts to enable members to allow citizens to have a right to settle in any of the other member countries.

Toyi noted that member states will foster cooperation by advocating for peace, sustainable security, economic integration as well as the wellbeing of people through poverty reduction pogrammes.

"Although we have had many challenges due to civil strife and armed conflicts that characterised CEPGL member states in the past, we are optimistic that the current diplomatic ties among the member states will help us achieve our set objectives,” he said.

Toyi added that the East African Community (EAC) to which Burundi and Rwanda are members, would not affect the progress of CEPGL because of the regional initiatives among the CEPGL.

He cited the setting up of an electricity centre on L. Kivu, building a road from Bujumbura, through Rwanda to Bunagana in DRC as some of the development projects to be undertaken by CPGL.

The bloc was established in September 1976 and comprises institutions shared by DRC, Rwanda and Burundi. Its main aim is to foster economic integration and facilitate the movement of goods and labour.
 
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