THE New Times’ senior reporter and Kampala bureau correspondent Gashegu Muramira has been appointed East African Community (EAC) youth Ambassador for regional integration.Muramira, a student at the Kampala International University (KIU), was appointed on Friday during the first EAC University Students’ Debate, "Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Political Integration in East Africa” that brought together thirty students from regional institutions of higher learning.During the debate, Muramira argued that it is important that the region first successfully implements the Customs Union and the Common Market Protocol before taking the integration process further.  One of the adjudicators, Donald Deya, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Pan African Lawyers Union, said that Muramira was selected because of exceptional debating skills and knowledge of EAC integration matters."He was clearly one of the best debaters we had and that is why he was chosen to be the EAC Youth Ambassador to champion regional integration in Rwanda,” Deya added.Each of the five EAC partner states was represented by six students."Gashegu was the best debater from Rwanda and he will now coordinate with other youth ambassadors from other partner states to spearhead regional integration,” Bobi Odiko, another judge added.Presiding over the appointment of four other Ambassadors to other EAC partner states, Jessica Eriyo, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of productive and social sectors, underscored the importance of involving the youth in achieving the vision of the EAC integration.The students also participated in a plenary session where they suggested steps the EAC should take to deepen the integration among Partner States and strategies on how Africa can reduce reliance on foreign aid.