East African Business Week

ARUSHA, TANZANIA: Zanzibar's Second Vice President Ambassador Seif Idd has said that it is important that leaders in the East African Community (EAC) partner states provide citizens with information to help them overcome their apprehension towards the regional integration.
"The realization that we are better off when integrated is not always obvious to our people and needs to be nurtured through demonstrating the actual benefits of our integration project," he said at the closure of the joint military exercise between officers from EAC partner state defense forces and the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM).
"The peasant, the businessperson, the student, the manufacturer among others must be educated about the benefits of integration so that their fears are allayed and this is a job for all of us who have been put in leadership positions because leadership is about vision and direction," he added.
He reiterated the importance of regional collaboration on matters of defense, noting that in a new uncertain world full of menace from hegemonic powers, danger from various asymmetrical threats and risks from both man-made and natural disasters, only a collective security build-up can create the necessary guarantees for our people.
 EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of planning and infrastructure Dr. Enos Bukuku said EAC viewed such exercises as an opportunity to build bridges of trust, friendship and confidence among the partner states".
He added that collaboration between EAC defense forces should extend beyond military activities.