Kigali to host regional media convention

Regional media owners and practitioners will next week convene in Kigali for the fifth media symposium to discuss the role of media in harnessing regional integration.The meeting, which is slated to take place from 9-10 August will be held at Serena hotel. It is organised by EAC Secretariat in partnership with East African Business Council and the Rwandan Ministry of East African Community under the theme ‘Media on the move: harnessing the EAC Common Market for media enterprises and freedom’.Speaking to the media yesterday, the Head of Department, Corporate Communications and Public affairs at the EAC Secretariat, Richard Owora Othieno, said the integration process requires the participation of all organs, including the media. “Media has done much in playing its role in the integration process. However, more is still needed as far as integration is concerned,” he said. “During the summit, we want to strategise ways of informing local and regional journalists on how they can learn more about EAC issues”.During the meeting, journalists will discuss ways to harness opportunities through free movement of labour, regulatory movement of media services, the role of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in the implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol.Other items in the agenda include the role of EAC Court of Justice in the implementation of the protocols to be discussed by the regional court president Justice Harold Reginald Nsekera.The regional court president will also officially open the court’s sub-registries to serve the public on disputes concerning the integration process.The EACJ registrar, Dr. John Ruhangisa, told The New Times that the sub-registries would be located at national courthouses and manned by a clerk employed by the EACJ, and supervised by a Deputy Registrar of the national court to be nominated by the Chief Justice.During the meeting, outstanding regional journalists would be rewarded for their efforts in promoting the integration process.The acting Executive Secretary of the Media High Council, Emmanuel Mugisha, called on local journalists to utilise the upcoming meeting to learn more about the integration process.“It’s the role of the media to explain the complexities of the EAC issues to the public to clearly understand the benefits. Integration is here to help Rwandans,” he pointed out. “We are not in the community as spectators”.He added that they intend to conduct a survey to establish how the local journalists are well engaged in the promotion of regional integration.The next meeting will held in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura.

National

Kigali to host regional media convention