Nairobi – The second annual Secretary General’s Forum opens today in Nairobi. The two-day forum aims to address a number of important issues affecting the region.

It brings together the private sector, civil society and other interest groups to interact with the Secretary General of the East African Community, Dr. Richard Sezibera, on regional integration matters.It will discuss mechanisms of addressing challenges facing the EAC integration process, as well as strategies for addressing macro-economic issues of the integration effort.The meeting will also provide a forum for discussing the participation and involvement of ordinary citizens in the EAC integration process, and avenues for addressing the challenges of unemployment in the Community. Also, it aims to position civil society and local governments to help in fast-tracking the EAC integration process. The theme for the meeting is, "The EAC We Want: Focusing on Quick Wins.” The forum will be expected to come up with clear and practical recommendations to the Secretary General for consideration by the EAC Council of Ministers.Representatives of the private sector, civil society, local governments, youth, women, and other groups will network and share best practices, as well as lessons learned in the EAC integration process.The forum hopes to increase the participation of the private sector, civil society and other interest groups in EAC policy formulation and decision-making processes. As a result of such forums, it is expected that citizens of the Community will achieve a higher level of awareness on matters of regional integration and increasingly take ownership of the process.The forum will also be attended by representatives of the governments of EAC partner states, academia, members of the East African Legislative Assembly, judges of the East African Court of Justice, members of national parliaments, the media and the EAC Secretariat.The keynote address will be presented by EAC Secretary General Dr. Richard Sezibera.