EAC to review industrialization policy

KAMPALA - East African Community (EAC) experts in industrialization will meet on Monday in Kampala, Uganda to review the draft EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy. The four-day forum is organized by EAC Secretariat in partnership with Germany Development cooperation (GIZ). “The experts from the region will meet to discuss the findings of the report by the consultant, De Chazzal Du Meet & Co (DCDM), on addressing the gaps previously identified in the draft Policy and Strategy during a regional validation workshop held last year,” reads part of the statement from EAC secretariat. According to the statement, last year’s regional validation workshop recommended that a review of the draft Policy and Strategy documents be undertaken to address the gaps pertaining to the scope of the policy, analytical framework used to select regional industry programmes, among others. The gaps identified in the regional forum held in May this year in Nairobi, Kenya facilitated broad consultation on some issues that emerged during regional validation workshop. During that conference there was a need for a strategic approach to the promotion of regional industries taking into consideration national comparative and competitive advantages. The urge to ensure that a mechanism is put in place to address observed disparities in the level of industrial development among Partner States was also emphasized in the Nairobi forum. The meeting also discussed possible approaches to addressing the imbalances in industrial development including setting up a regional fund to support investments. In Monday’s meeting in Kampala, experts will deliberate on formulating Policy inputs and recommendations for the finalization of the EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy; identification of priority regional industries to be promoted on comparative advantages. The discussions will also dwell on the identification of policy interventions or programmes to be implemented at national and regional levels; as well as updated draft final EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy documents. Ends