This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On Tuesday, the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government convened a virtual meeting, chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the current EAC Chairperson. The meeting aimed to address the challenges posed by cross-border trade in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), and Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan) acknowledged the emergence of truck drivers as a high-risk carrier population and tasked their respective state agencies to roll-out border screening and testing measures without compromising cross-border movement of goods.
President Uhuru Kenyatta emphasized the need for collective EAC interventions against the global Covid-19 pandemic, stating, 'A unified stand is what we need to combat this pandemic in the region.'
The Heads of State expressed satisfaction with measures taken so far by regional governments in managing Covid-19 and thanked the EAC Secretariat and the Council of Ministers for ensuring the region minimizes cross-border spread of the virus while ensuring uninterrupted movement of goods.
They acknowledged the slowdown caused by the global pandemic on the region's key economic sectors and urged member states to prioritize local production of essential supplies needed to combat Covid-19.
