Experts from the East African Community (EAC) partner states and the EAC Secretariat have been asked to dedicate their efforts towards strengthening institutional capacities in the management of trade and industrial policies.

Musa Uledi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industries Tanzania was officially opening the talks last week. 

“More often than not, the EAC partner states would ask themselves, what went wrong with their industrial development policies that they pursued in the 1970s?” he said.

Participants came from the partner states, GIZ and EABC experts including experts from UNIDO Tanzania who are moderating and giving the technical backup to the programme.

According to Jennifer Gache, a senior industrial engineer, who represented the EAC, research findings show that capacity and performance of the public sector that deals with industry related matters in the partner states is low.

As a result, implementation of industry related policies and strategies, has in some case,  been inadequate, constrained by several factors, poor governance and ineffective monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

The discussions are in line with the EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy 2012 – 2032, which was approved by the EAC Summit in Bujumbura, Burundi by Heads of States on December 30, 2011. The strategy provides a roadmap in attaining industrialized economic status by 2032.

The project on ‘Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Industrial Policy Implementation in the EAC region’ underpins the importance of carrying forward industrial development through strengthening all the stakeholders along the chain as a main agenda to economic development.

The key objective is the ability and design and to redesign industrial development programmes to respond to emerging opportunities at regional and global level. Also mitigate pitfalls in the policy-making process which holds the key to unlocking the region’s development potential. 

Once adopted the programme, aims to put in place mechanisms that will create awareness and enhance the technical and managerial capacities of national and regional public institutions responsible for industrial development.