Heads of State for the neighboring East African states of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda have pledged to eliminate cross-border travel barriers as a way forward to speed up regional integration.
During the Seventh Summit of the East African Community (EAC) held in Tanzania’s northern tourist city of Arusha April 5, the East African heads of state said travel barriers, which existed within their states since 1977, should be eliminated.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said travel barriers should be eliminated to allow free movements of people between the three countries which make the East African region.
President Museveni said cross border barriers between each state were deterrent to regional development in areas of travel and business.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the present territorial borders were useless to the people of East Africa since they share similar cultural, economic and geographical values.
He said East African region should be integrated into a single customs union bloc and stand open to free movements of people from each member state, while his Tanzanian counterpart, President Jakaya Kikwete, stood for total elimination of cross-border barriers.
President Kikwete said Rwanda and Burundi will soon be granted full membership to the East African Community before this regional bloc changes into a regional political federation in 2010.
During their meeting, the heads of state appointed and sworn-in Tanzania’s ambassador to France, Juma Mwapachu, the Secretary General of the community. He replaced the Ugandan outgoing Secretary General Amanya Mushega.
Cross border tourism in East Africa ceased in 1977 shortly after the breaking up of the former East African Community, prompting each country to establish its own tourism network. eTN Africa
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