The Engineers Competent Authorities Coordination Committee is committed to advancing, promoting and developing the profession of engineering in the East African Community (EAC).

This was reiterated during an annual meeting by the coordination committee on the implementation of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) which enables engineers from EAC member states to practice across common borders within the region.

The agreement was signed in 2012, by four EAC member states to ease mobility of labour and services for engineers.

This year’s annual meeting, which took place last week in Kigali, was hosted by the Institution of Engineers in Rwanda (IER) and attracted delegates from the four states that are party to the agreement namely Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

During the meeting, the delegates agreed among others, for partner states to adopt a harmonised system of immigration rules issuing work permits for professional engineers within the region.

Alexis Dushimire Hategekimana, registrar at the Institution of Engineers in Rwanda and sitting chairman of the coordination committee said that they are going to work on bolstering the competitiveness of engineers within the region, adding that they plan to work more closely with higher learning institutions in the accreditation of engineering curriculum.

Hategekimana said that they are also going to widen the scope of applications of MRA to include registration of engineering consulting firms.

The chairman also hinted at helping Burundi and South Sudan – which are currently not party to the agreement – to establish engineering boards through EAC, so that they can become members.

 "The committee is also going to ensure domestication of MRA into existing national laws, and harmonise registration for foreign engineers outside of East Africa,” said Hategekimana.

According to officials, promotion of intra-EAC joint ventures and mergers in professional services is something they are looking into, to boost the engineering sector in the region.

So far, 58 engineers have been registered under the MRA. However, only four Rwandan engineers have been registered, meaning these are the only one that can freely access the labour market in regional states.

To this end, Hategekimana called upon local engineers to seize the opportunity and register to be able to take advantage of the widened market.

The Mutual Recognition Agreement was signed under the auspices of the EAC Common Market, on December 7, 2012 at a ceremony held in Arusha.

The Institution of Engineers Rwanda joined MRA in 2016, with the aim of advancing, promoting, and developing engineering profession in Rwanda, through enhanced awareness of engineering profession, regulation and capacity building of its members, to ensure that they are competent and competitive in the regional and international professional market.

According to officials, promotion of intra-EAC joint ventures and mergers in professional services is something they are looking into.

The annual meeting of the coordination committee on the implementation of the Mutual Recognition Agreement.