Regional labour sourcing a great boost to integration

When people talk about the East African Community, many do not realise how much of this concept is still on paper. Apart from being able to identify the geographical expanse of the area covered by the five countries, the evidence of integration is still hard to come by. It is very safe to say that most of us still feel simply Rwandan, Ugandan, Kenyan, Tanzanian or Burundian than as East Africans. I have only heard of a few cases where at some regional airports like Dar es Salaam, East Africans are offered preferential treatment. At other border posts it is common to find the immigration official questioning a fellow East African more than someone from Eastern Europe. Such cold treatment only serves to slow down the inevitable process of integration. How shall we achieve regional integration when crucial steps like easing border crossing are still troublesome? However all is not lost and I am still one of the most optimistic people as far as the EAC is concerned. It is an idea whose time has come, and I do not think anyone will be able to stand in its way. Major strides are being made each day especially in the sphere of labour dynamics. Labour specialisations worldwide have always fascinated me. I think it is simply God’s way of making sure that we all have some contribution to make to the world. Because of these specialisations, countries are compelled to depend on each other in order to get certain things done. If you want a quality watch you will have to go to Switzerland while an efficient car will come from German or Sweden. In the meantime Japan and China will provide you with a cheaper car while Africa will have all the food and cash crops the world may need. Military equipment will be found in Russia and its neighbours like Belarus. On a regional level, each of the five countries seems to have something to offer the other on the labour front. Therefore each country can assess its development goals and find the answers to the labour gaps just across the border. The various EAC leaders often invite regional investors to take up available opportunities in their countries. It is however equally important for them to also invite; not just the investors but the labour force to effect the desired development in particular sectors where gaps are identified. Rwanda took the lead recently by sourcing for qualified English language teachers from across its borders, in order to achieve the much needed boost to the teaching of English language. This was first done at the end of last year and again this year. Consequently, several schools here have acquired the services of teachers from Uganda and Kenya. In similar light, The East African newspaper for the week, October 25 – 31, reported that the construction of over 1000 new secondary schools in Tanzania had created an opening for Kenyan teachers. In the region, Tanzania’s teacher shortage problem is one of the most profound labour shortages. It is therefore not surprising that our brothers are seeking help from Kenya. Such labour exchanges, certainly, boost efforts towards integration through the provision of a window for mutual understanding and cooperation between the people of the different countries. The original EAC had people from all the three countries attending the same universities and then competing for the same jobs in the region. For example one of my uncles attended Nairobi University for an engineering degree while his brother went on to work in Tanzania for the EA Ports and Harbours Authority. Kenya’s current president attended Makerere University and went on to lecture at the same institution for several years before joining Kenyan politics. It was through such arrangements that people in the region felt a sense of belonging to the wider entity called East Africa. As countries in the region continue to attract labour from each other, efforts must be made to make these people feel welcome in the places they move to if the community is to ever fully integrate and evolve into the much talked about federation. This region will only develop if the region’s best skilled labour is allowed to move to where it is most needed, not as expatriates or foreigners but as East Africans. Kenyans in Tanzania, Ugandans in Rwanda, Rwandans in Uganda or Burundians in Tanzania all need to feel like East Africans and not foreigners. This is what integration is all about. The region as a whole is a much more viable competitor on the economic scene than any of the individual small countries. In short, our prosperity and destiny are intertwined. ssenyonga@gmail.com