EAC

EAC marine and fisheries body to be revived

BY GEORGE KAGAME
Arusha

Negotiations are underway to re-establish the East African marine and fisheries organization revealed Juma Mwapachu the EAC Secretary General earlier in the week.

Mwapachu was speaking in Kenya after a week long familiarization tour of defence institutions and establishments in Kenya that are involved in the EAC co-operation agreement on defence matters. The joint EAC fisheries and marine organization existed under the former EAC (1967-1977), Mwapachu said the new version would involve research and development to tap the maritime and fisheries resources of the East African water bodies - both offshore and inland - for the benefit of the East African people.

Mwapachu also met with several Kenyan security officials concerned with EAC and held wide ranging discussions about co-operation in defence policy research and development. He further announced that joint EAC military exercises are set to be undertaken during 2009/2010; and that the establishment of a strong EAC Directorate of Peace and Security desk is underway.

Brigadier Ngewa Mukala, the deputy commander of the Kenya Navy said the East African Indian Ocean coastline has great strategic significance and that Kenya was undertaking initiatives along with international stakeholders to safeguard the regional security and maritime interests.

He added that anti-piracy and counter-terrorism operations had assumed a high profile on the East African and Horn of Africa coastline and as a result Maritime security services were currently under threat.
The East African Indian Ocean coastline has recently seen an upsurge of violent attacks to cruise ships from Somalian pirates; the pirates have also affected the supply of relief services to sick and starving people affected by war in Somalia.
The US along with other major powers has increased security patrol on the ocean as a result.



Mukala said that East Africa’s maritime zones remained largely untapped by the East African countries these resources include fisheries, oil and gas and that with the current global food and fuel prices crisis, the resources of the sea had become critical.

He revealed the best tuna fish resources were found in the Indian Ocean with Kenya having a potential of 150,000 tonnes per year, translating into 30 billion Kenya Shillings annually, however these resources are currently being exploited virtually exclusively by foreign interests.