Govt calls for establishment of mechanisms to fast-track regional integration By Carolyne Madoshi

The government has called for the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress of attaining regional integration targets so as to enable Tanzania benefit from East African Community (EAC).

 

Assistant Director-Productive Sectors in the Ministry of East African Cooperation Dr Abdullah Makame made the appeal at the weekend in Dar es Salaam when presenting a paper on the mainstreaming regional integration in the development of national budget during a pre-budget discussion forum.

EAC

 

The forum was organised by the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF).
 

“The scenario of East African Community in Tanzania requires advocacy and sensitisation on the importance of regional integration and to ensure that the needs at the national level are identified in order for Tanzanians to benefit from EAC integration,” Dr Makame noted.
 

He added that at national level, the mainstreaming of national and regional priorities should be identified during planning and budgeting.

 

According to him, for Tanzania to benefit from EAC, it needs to ensure that regional integration matters are featured as a priority area in the development of national budget.

However, he called on the government to finalise the national integration policy and strategy in order to have clear regional integration priorities.  

 

He mentioned potentials of the country under regional integration as land endowment, natural resources and geographical access.

 

Meanwhile, the ESRF Head of Governance Capacity Development Department, Margret Kasembe called on all ministries in the country to cooperate in EAC matters in order for Tanzanians to benefit from the integration.

 

Kasembe said the Ministry of East African Cooperation should create a mainstream tool that would provide the regional integration with an appropriate focus on developing national policies, plans and programs. 

 

“We will sensitise the information from the discussion in order to send them to decision makers so as to acquire points that will facilitate them to articulate a debate during the budget session,” she said.

 

She added that for a nation to succeed there must be a strategy to attain regional integration priorities and articulate the commitment of attaining the linkage of regional integration priorities to national budgets.

 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN