EAC Secretary General pays courtesy call on President Salva Kiir Mayardit

The Secretary General of the East African Community, Hon (Dr.) Peter Mathuki paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic of South Sudan, His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit at his office in Juba, South Sudan. 

During the visit, the Secretary General thanked the President and other members of the EAC Summit for his appointment as the sixth Secretary General of the East African Community.

“I am cognizant of the very heavy responsibilities inherent in this appointment. I will remain dedicated, diligent and trustworthy so as to ensure we achieve tangible results for the betterment of the livelihoods of our people in East Africa,” said Dr. Mathuki.

Dr. Mathuki briefed the President on the current EAC state of play on various integration matters including progress on consolidating the Single Customs Territory, implementation of the Common Market and Monetary Union protocols, as well as progress towards attainment of the EAC Political Confederation.

The Secretary General informed the President that the EAC Secretariat was keen on supporting South Sudan in strengthening her institutions, such as the automation of customs offices, thereby facilitating more efficient clearance off goods.

Further, Dr. Mathuki said that the EAC Secretariat was providing various scholarships aimed at building the capacity of the youth in information technology and called upon the youth in South Sudan to capitalize on such opportunities.

“Digital skills are critical in facilitating all aspects of our regional integration agenda, we offer full-time scholarships for students to enrolled in a Master’s programme in Embedded and Mobile Systems (MSc EMoS) that is open to students across the region,” said Dr. Mathuki.

On his part, President Kiir reaffirmed his commitment to the EAC integration and urged the Secretary General to devise strategies that will further enhance the integration of South Sudan into the Community.

The President further called upon the Secretary General to put in place mechanisms to increase South Sudan’s level of participation in intra-regional trade in addition to initiatives that will enable the people of South Sudan to fully capitalize on the benefits of the Community.

President Kiir commended the current close collaboration between EAC Organs and Institutions as a clear commitment towards achieving the objectives of the Community.

A meeting between the EAC delegation and the country’s Minister of East African Community Affairs, Hon. Deng Alor Kuol, preceded the courtesy call on the Head of State.

Dr. Mathuki was accompanied by the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Ngoga, the Judge President of the East African Court of Justice, Justice Nestor Kayobera, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, as well as Registrar of the East African Court of Justice, His Worship Yufnalis Okubo, and EAC Director of Finance, Mr. Juvenal  Ndimurirwo.