The Deputy Secretary General of the EAC, Alloys Mutabingwa from Rwanda was, over the weekend, chosen as the patron of the East African Community Youth Organisation, (EACYO).

Mutabingwa is in charge of infrastructure and planning at the regional bloc’s secretariat.

EACYO is a regional body that aims at engaging the youth from all partner states to strengthen and consolidate the realization of the goals and objectives enshrined in the treaty establishing the EAC.

According to a statement from EACYO, after his nomination, Mutabingwa held discussions with the organization’s board of directors, where they agreed to prioritize capacity building of regional youth, especially in project planning, management and financing.

During an interview with The New Times, Mutabingwa urged the regional youth to develop an attitude of self-reliance.

"The tendency of saying that my dad or relative owns a hotel or is driving a nice car so I shouldn’t work, is a chronic disease. They should learn how to be self reliant and work towards the development of the region,” he said.
Mrisho Gambo, the chairman of EACYO, said that picking Mutabingwa was a huge achievement towards developing the regional youth body.

"We are blessed to have a patron like Mutabingwa. He has been supporting us since the organization started and we have a lot of hope that he will continue guiding us to ensure our organization develops,” Gambo said by phone from Arusha.

During the EACYO meeting with their new patron, unemployment was identified among the most pressing challenges that need to be addressed immediately.

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