PHOTO: EALA. EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga K Martin unveils the plaque at the launch of the EAPI as other guests look on
Regional Speakers of the East African Community (EAC) launched the East African Parliamentary Institute (EAPI), a training facility expected to harness capacities and narrow the skills gap of parliamentarians and staff in quest to further strengthen the integration process.
Speaking at the official launch on March 1, Speaker of the East Asian Legislative Assembly (EALA) Martin Ngoga underscored the importance of the institute’s presence in the region, stressing it would help drive the integration process and provide a valuable link between people within the region and beyond. He noted that the institute would provide an adequate base of knowledge on legislative matters to Members of Parliament and staff who at times come from different background when they join parliaments.
The launch of the EAPI follows the enactment of the East Asian Parliamentary Institute (EAPI) bill passed in 2011, which provides for the legal framework of its establishment. The EAPI Act aims to establish a mechanism for capacity and skills development to promote professionalism. In his speech, Ngoga also lauded the East African Community Heads of State for assenting to the Bill.
Kenyan Speaker of Senate Kenneth Lusaka called for capacity development of legislators, saying it remained critical in ensuring effective service delivery to parliamentary leadership, legislators and the electorate, and further called for collective effort on parliaments and all other stakeholders toward offering sustained commitment and unity of purpose.
The Vice President of the Senate of Rwanda, Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba, hailed the inception of the Institute as visionary and said the Parliament of Rwanda was committed to ensuring it is fully operational.
East African Legislative Assembly Speaker will chair over the Board of Trustees consisting of regional speakers, while the Clerk of the regional assembly oversees the activities of the Governing Council. The Institute was initially mooted in 2001 as a joint venture between the State University of New York (SUNY), National Assemblies of the Partner States, EALA, as well as the United States International University and was initially funded by FORD foundation. Under the new arrangement, parliaments from the bloc are to largely fund the institution, a move hailed as key in its sustainability.
PHOTO: EALA. The EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga K Martin (left) and Speaker of Kenya National Assembly, Rt Hon Justin Muturi consult on the sidelines of the launch of the East African Parliamentary Institute (EAPI)
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organization of 6 Partner States: the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. EAC aims to widen and deepen cooperation among the Partner States in various key spheres, including political, economic, and social arenas. EAC is responsible for progress of the East African Customs Union, establishment of the Common Market in 2010, and the implementation of the East African Monetary Union Protocol.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)
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