Tanzania’s Prime Minister Majaliwa Kassim Majaliwa on Monday assured the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Martin Ngoga, of his government’s support to the Assembly’s work in advancing the six-member bloc’s integration agenda. He made the assurance during Ngoga’s courtesy call on the prime minister at the Tanzanian parliamentary building in the capital, Dodoma. During their meeting, Majaliwa told Ngoga that Tanzanians and the citizens of all the other partner states have high expectations in the regional parliament. Ngoga, on the other hand, briefed the Tanzanian premier about key and recent developments in the assembly, particularly the effort to fast-track the third pillar of the integration agenda – the East African Community Monetary Union (EAMU). “The third pillar of integration has delayed for two years now but our intention as parliament is to fast-track this effort,” he said. On Thursday last week, the East African Community Monetary Institute Bill, 2017 was finally tabled before the regional parliament in Dodoma. The long-awaited piece of legislation seeks to establish the East African Community Monetary Institute, a body which will be responsible for the preparatory work for the Monetary Union. The proposed monetary body was supposed to be set up by 2015, according to an schedule. Regional leaders issued a directive during the February 23 EAC Heads of State Summit in Kampala, Uganda for the Council of Ministers to expedite the establishment of the institute and other legal instruments to pave way for the Monetary Union. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
