Dr Kamala said this when meeting a delegation from the European Union
(EU) Department of International Development (DFID) at his office in
Dar es Salaam yesterday.
He used the occasion to request the EU to help in capacity building,
especially in negotiating skills, strategies of implementing the common
market and development of the bloc`s policy because currently it is
only guided by the treaty.
The minister said EAC also lacks a transport network policy, something
which results in having many non-tariff barriers despite the Customs
Union.
The EU is also likely to help in the preparation of the Tanzania
National Policy on Regional Integration and to evaluate the current
customs union.
He said though more than 80 per cent of negotiations on the EAC common
market are ready, still there are challenges that need to be addressed
before its commencement.
He mentioned one of the major obstacles as the land issue whereby other
countries thought that land would be part of the common market.
Dr Kamala said each member country has different land policies. He said
in Tanzania people don`t own land, in Kenya large chunks of land are
owned by individuals, in Uganda land belongs to communal chiefs and the
government while in Burundi and Rwanda the land system is not clear.
He said land issues cannot be negotiated and that it was good for each country to continue with its own system.
“What happened during the discussions is that member states suggested
that once a person stays in another country for more than five years
he/she must be given permanent residence and land. Most of them were
thinking of acquiring land in Tanzania,“ said Dr Kamala.
He said the EAC member states also differ on whether member states should use identity cards or passports.
He said other countries suggested that member states should use
identity cards while Tanzania`s stand is that people should use their
passports because using identity cards needs more advanced technology
which Tanzania doesn`t have.
The minister said on the issue of employment they agreed that there
should be specification of jobs that people from different countries
can take.
He said countries must set specific academic standards and qualifications to be used for all the people.
He called for people to continue respecting the borders between countries.
His concern comes after Kenya and Uganda continue fighting for Mijingo Island in Lake Victoria.
He said the reason for their fighting is that each country wants to
benefit economically from the island, which is very rich in fish
resources.
United Kingdom`s Department for International Development director for
Europe, Claire Durkin promised to provide analytical support on all
requested issues.
She also said the EU would like to provide more support on trade issues
to ensure that Tanzania and the EAC are able to extend their business
to the rest of the world.
She said it was important for Tanzania to enter into business
cooperation with other organizations, adding that it was crucial for
the country to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in order
to enjoy the economic benefits it offers.