Tanzanian activists not louder enough in regional integration
The series of Civil Society Organisations' Week, for instance, do not address integration issues.
SATURDAY September 14, 2024
By The Tranquility News Reporter, Tanzania
Shrinking civic space is one of the reasons for the voice of civil society organisations in Tanzania to become feeble, East African Civil Society Organisations Forum (EACSOF) has noticed.
Lilian Kimaro, EACSOF Executive Director, defended policy makers saying COVID-19 pandemic was partly to blame for the CSOs in the country to become inactive in the region.
“We should consider finding ways of bouncing back from where the pandemic disrupted our tempo,” the EACSOF Chief said when contributing to the CSO Week 2024 podcast panel in Arusha recently.
She said there was need for introducing a CSOs Summit at national level to deliberate on emerging trade issues and to tap into best practices and experiences.
Ms Kimaro opined that the series of the CSOs Week were not effectively addressing integration issues. “Maybe due to lack of interest, we need to pull up our socks to do better,” she stressed.
The podcast panel hinged on challenges, opportunities and recommendations on civil society engagement in the East African Community (EAC) integration process.
The panel’s goal of uplifting the CSOs voice in the integration agenda aligns with the theme of the sixth edition of the CSO Week: Voice, Vision, Value; as well as the Treaty establishing the bloc.
The Treaty dictates that the integration agenda shall be people-centred and participatory, and that the process shall be inclusive of voices of the citizens, and responsive to the needs and demands of the people.
Mr Charles Omusana, the Principal Economist from the Investment and Private Sector Promotion docket of the EAC, cited several provisions of the Treaty that provides for CSOs participation in technical and policy meetings of the bloc.
Article 3(5)(b), for instance, provides for the possibility of the EAC Council of Ministers granting CSOs an observer statusΩ
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The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
