Sustainable Development Goals and Their Implication on Economic Growth

The MDGs have been criticised for being too narrow and leaving out many people and their needs, like mental health. Likewise, not all MDGs were implemented successfully in all countries. Some countries implemented one or two MDGs of their choice and left others untouched, others partially implemented all MDGs. It was on this basis that the UN member states met in Rio to frame the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, in order for the SDGs to address systemic challenges across economic, social, and ecological dimensions of sustainable development they require appropriate institutional support to effectively integrate them into institutions and practices, to coordinate activities, and to mobilize resources for implementation. Rising income inequality negatively impacts economic growth and is threatening sustainable development of East African Community (EAC) member states. Since, the SDGs are many, it is recommended that, East African Member states should adopt a targeted approach in implementing the SDGs and focus on the smallholder farming sector.

Responses and Impacts of COVID-19 on East Africa’s Tourism Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all economies and life support systems world-wide. Owing to the pandemic's unpredictable nature, experts and policymakers struggle to find a headway to slow infections and further economic deterioration. The purpose of this study is to assess East African Community (EAC) states’ early responses and the pandemic’s impacts on the tourism industry. Data were collected through a review of secondary data, including academic and media reports. Special attention was paid to respective policy responses during the early stages of the pandemic outbreak. Findings show that Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda employed more robust measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, whereas Tanzania and Burundi resorted to censorship and protectionism. The EAC should quickly learn from the current crisis and devise strategies to handle future shocks to the tourism-system. The states should prioritize economic diversification, retraining of the workforce, global engagement, and collaborative management.

Impact of East African Community Integration on Trade: Gravity Model Approach

East African community (EAC) is a regional economic bloc established to foster economic corporation between Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania. Using gravity model the study explores the short run and long run effect of East African community (EAC) on trade using parametric, random effect and fixed effect estimation techniques. Secondly, the study investigates whether formation of EAC led to trade creation or trade diversion in the long run among the member countries of EAC. Lastly, the study establishes the effect of entry of Burundi and Rwanda to the economic bloc of EAC on trade. The study used panel data obtained from the five countries of EAC for the period 1985 to 2019. Breausch Pagan LM test for restrictions in the parametric model and Hausman test for endogeinity in the gravity model found out that fixed effect estimation technique produced accurate and plausible results than parametric and random effect estimation techniques. The empirical results of fixed effect model established that trade across EAC member countries rose by 1.6% in the short run while random effect and parametric models recorded 3.6% increase in trade in the short run. This effect was insignificant meaning that trade between EAC member countries did not expand considerably in the short run. In the long run, fixed effect indicate that EAC increased trade by 24.2% while random effect and parametric model each show that EAC increased trade by 16%. The coefficients are statistically significant at 5% ceteris paribus. Secondly, economic corporation of EAC led to trade creation in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda by 41.6%, 12.2%, 33.9% and 30.1% respectively and trade diversion by 4.2% in Tanzania. Thirdly, entry of Burundi and Rwanda to EAC increased trade of EAC countries by 19.6%. The coefficient is statistically significant at 5% level. The results of random effect and parametric model each indicate a growth in trade by 19.1%. The results of parametric, random effect and fixed effect estimation techniques are all consistent. Lastly, the study established that countries in EAC ought to foster greater growth in GDP, to encourage and strengthen use of common language and to reduce cross border restrictions in order to realize more growth in trade.

Joint Medicines Regulatory Procedure in the East African Community: Registration Timelines and Way Forward

A review of the East African Community (EAC) joint regulatory review process was conducted, registration timelines analyzed and key milestones, challenges and opportunities documented for the period of July 2015 to January 2020. A total of 113 applications were submitted for joint scientific review. Among these, 109 applications were assessed, 57 were recommended for marketing authorisation, 52 applications had queries to applicants and four applications were under review. A total median approval time for all products ranged from 53 to 102 days. The maximum time taken by a regulator to review the dossier was 391 days and the minimum time was 44 days. For applicants, the maximum time to respond to queries was 927 days and the minimum time was nine days. The total median time for granting marketing authorisation by the National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRA) decreased from 174 to 39 working days in 2015 and 2019 respectively. However, not all EAC NMRA has granted marketing authorisation to all 57 products due to non-payment of applicable fees by applicants. Long regulatory approval timelines were contributed by limited capacity for timely scientific review of dossier by some NMRA, lack of online portal to share dossiersand assessment reports, delay in responding to queries by applicants and deficiencies in dossier. The metric tool and register of medical products submitted for joint scientific review had incomplete data. Challenges were identified and actions recommended to ensure regional regulatory system optimization, efficiency, transparency, sustainability and accountability.

Regionalism and Regional Politics of African States (on the Example of the Countries of the East African Community)

The subject of the study was the East African Commonwealth, an economic association that currently unites Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Southern Sudan. Particular attention is paid to the integration processes in Africa in the post-colonial period, the doctrine of federalism in the political discourse of African countries, the causes of the crisis and the dissolution of the EAC in the seventies of the last century, as well as the economic and political reasons for reintegration of YOU. Special attention is paid to the evolution of the EAC from an economic alliance to a political one and the prospect of forming a federative state on the basis of the SAC. The author identifies the factors that led to the economic consolidation of the EAC, as well as those determinants of development of the commonwealth, which make it extremely difficult to form a unified federal state in East Africa. It is concluded that the further regionalization of the African continent and the realization of the federal project in East Africa will be hindered by such factors as the high level of conflict in the EAC member countries, tribalism, cultural, confessional and linguistic heterogeneity, and the ambition of leaders and political elites.