EAC eulogises Mwapachu, burial today
DAR ES SALAAM: FORMER Secretary General of the East African Community Ambassador Juma Mwapachu, who passed away on Friday in Dar es Salaam, will be laid to rest today at his home village in Tanga Region.
According to a family statement availed to the media yesterday, Ambassador Mwapachu’s body will be transported to Pande Village, Kiomoni Tanga, where the funeral will be held today.
Ambassador Mwapachu, the long-serving member of Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), died in Dar es Salaam at the age of 83 while undergoing treatment at Muhimbili National Hospital.
Meanwhile, the East African Business Council (EABC) has described Ambassador Mwapachu as a passionate champion of regional integra- tion and private sector devel- opment in East Africa.
A statement issued yesterday by Acting Executive Direc- tor of the East African Business Council (EABC), Mr Adrian Njau said that Mwapachu played an instrumental role in shaping the private sector’s voice in the East African inte- gration agenda.
“A visionary thought leader and an accomplished diplomat, he was among the early architects of EABC and served as EABC’s second Chairperson.
His leadership saw EABC assume a central role during the formulation and eventual signing of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC) on 30th November 1999,” he said.
Mr Njau said, serving as Secretary General of the East African Community from 2006 to 2011, his tenure was marked by visionary leadership in implementing the EAC Customs Union and spearheading negotiations for the EAC Common Market Protocol, which was signed in 2009 and came into force on 1st July 2010.
He was also pivotal in laying the foundation for the East African Monetary Union by developing the Terms of Refer- ence for its negotiations.
Mr Njau said Ambassador Mwapachu’s legacy in the pri- vate sector development is outstanding.
He served as Chairperson of the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) and the first Secretary General of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA).
Dr Mwapachu, as Chair- person of CTI, advanced regional economic cooperation alongside other business visionaries, including Dr Manu Chandaria of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and Prof James Mulwana of Uganda Manufacturers Asso- ciation (UMA) by co-founding the EABC in 1997.
Their joint efforts laid the groundwork for private sector participation and involvement in the revival of the East Afri- can Community (EAC) after the collapse of the original EAC in 1977.
Under his stewardship, he passionately advocated EABC’s recognition as a formal representative of private sector in the EAC integration processes.
This led to the granting of observer status to EABC enabling it to participate in the EAC policy formulation and decision-making processes.
Throughout his illustrious career, he championed people- centred and market-driven integration, urging for deeper collaboration between governments and businesses.
He consistently called for stronger policy frameworks to promote cross-border trade and investment, eliminate barriers to trade in order to boost intra-EAC trade.
Mr Njau said: “EABC acknowledges with gratitude his lifetime commitment to the ideals of regional integra- tion.
His foundational role in shaping key articles of the EAC Treaty—Article 127 on enabling private sector de- velopment, Article 128 on strengthening private sector institutions and Article 129 on cooperation among business organisations—underscored his belief in the private sector as a pillar of the EAC.”
During his lifetime, Ambassador Mwapachu has held various positions in higher education institutions, government, the private sector and international organisations including being Tanzania’s Ambassador to France.
Ambassador Mwapachu has also served as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Dar es Salaam and as the chairman of several public institutions including the Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB), the Railway Corporation and a Commissioner of the Presidential Com- mission for the Reform of Pub- lic Institutions.
