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NewsTranscript
00:00 Right Honorable Martin Ngoga, Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly
00:09 Honorable Agustin Yamuremye, President of the Senate of Rwanda
00:18 Honorable Ministers and Senior Government Officials
00:23 Honorable Members of the Assembly
00:27 Dr. Peter Madhuki, Secretary General of the East African Community
00:34 Members of the Diplomatic Corps
00:38 Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
00:43 Let me start by asking the Honorable Member and Minister from Burundi, Ndebejira,
01:01 to pass back my warm greetings to President Ndebejira.
01:12 Our Chair of the East African Community
01:19 I want to welcome the rest of us to Rwanda.
01:29 Karibu nisan.
01:34 We want you to feel at home.
01:37 And thank you for inviting me to join you for this seating of the East African Community,
01:45 of the East African Legislative Assembly.
01:50 As you conclude the term of the Fourth Assembly,
01:57 allow me to congratulate you for the commendable work that has been done
02:07 over the last five years in the service of our community and our people.
02:18 Since its re-establishment more than 20 years ago,
02:24 the East African Community has made significant progress
02:29 towards the creation of a single market.
02:37 The East African Legislative Assembly is an integral part of this success.
02:50 By harmonizing laws and policies and providing oversight of regional bodies,
02:57 the Assembly helps ensure the interests of all citizens are being served.
03:05 But challenges remain.
03:08 First, the East African Community is currently underfunded,
03:15 hindering the implementation of projects and programs.
03:24 As partners, we must work together to adopt a sustainable financing mechanism
03:35 and take full ownership of our development with less reliance on external support,
03:46 which we are appreciative of.
03:51 Connected to that, we must ensure that resources are spent soundly
04:02 and make financial accountability a top priority.
04:10 Second, we are far behind the timeline we set for ourselves
04:20 to achieve some of the major goals for the community.
04:26 For example, the establishment of the East African Monetary Institute
04:32 is years behind schedule.
04:35 Yet, this institution is necessary for achieving a monetary union.
04:45 Lastly, despite good progress in removing non-tariff barriers, many still remain.
04:58 This hinders the free movement of goods and services,
05:04 which is the foundation of our region's shared prosperity of the future.
05:15 Here, political will is the solution.
05:25 Despite these areas needing improvement,
05:30 the East African Community ranks highly in independent reviews
05:37 of regional economic communities.
05:42 However, it does not suffice for the regional economic communities
05:48 across our continent to do well individually.
05:58 We must collaborate, share knowledge, and learn from one another
06:06 to fulfill the wider objectives of a more united and prosperous Africa.
06:21 This was the logic of the institutional reform of the African Union,
06:27 which I have been honored to lead,
06:31 mandated by the heads of state and government of our continent.
06:41 A key pillar of the reform was a better division of labor
06:47 between the African Union and the regional economic communities.
06:53 This means that member states must give more support
06:59 to regional economic communities to deliver on their mandate.
07:05 It also means that regional economic communities must constantly strive
07:11 to deliver tangible value to member states and citizens.
07:19 As a continent, the coming years will bring us numerous challenges,
07:27 but also new opportunities.
07:35 We must face the future with a sense of urgency, working closely together.
07:44 Youth account for the vast majority of our population,
07:50 and their number will continue to grow.
07:55 As a result, in the second half of this century,
08:00 Africa should become the engine of the world's growth and innovation.
08:10 But we have to make the necessary investments right now.
08:18 Investments in people, in infrastructure,
08:23 and of course in regional integration.
08:30 Creating a bright future for today's young people
08:36 means putting good governance and security at the center of everything we do.
08:47 Rwanda remains committed to peace and stability efforts
08:52 within agreed frameworks at both the regional and continental levels.
09:02 Once again, asante nisana.
09:06 I hope you enjoy your stay in our country and come back often.
09:14 I wish you productive deliberations,
09:25 and I thank you for your kind attention.
09:32 (applause)
09:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]