ARUSHA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has called on fellow East African leaders to come together and partner with the private sector to ensure affordable and reliable access to clean cooking energy for their communities.
She said that the initiative is crucial for improving the living standards, including creating a foundation for environmental conservation, which is essential for the well-being of the East African Community (EAC) now and for future generations.
President Samia made the call yesterday in Arusha during the High-level side event to commemorate the East African Community (EAC) 25th anniversary during a panel discussion moderated by the bloc’s Secretary General Veronica Nduva.
She further outlined initiatives to mitigate environmental challenges and foster sustainability, despite limited resources, saying Tanzania’s climate-related spending, accounts for 4-5 per cent of its GDP annually.
“Deforestation remains a critical issue, with the country losing 400,000 acres of forest each year due to charcoal production and other activities.
To address this, the government has implemented a tree-planting policy, aiming for districts to plant 1.5 million trees annually.
However, she noted that progress has slowed in recent years. On efforts to transition to cleaner energy, she said the government has expanded electricity access across nearly all of Tanzania’s 12,300 villages, with ongoing work to ensure full household coverage.
“Electricity is not just lighting homes—it supports women with clean cooking solutions and helps young people create jobs,” she said.
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Tanzania derives about 50 per cent of its electricity from natural gas, alongside contributions from renewable sources like hydropower, solar and wind.
Major projects include the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam, which is expected to generate 2,500 megawatts and renewable energy developments in Shinyanga and Singida. The president also highlighted environmentally friendly uses of coal byproducts, such as producing briquettes that reduce harmful emissions.
She called for stronger collaboration among East African nations and with private partners to further clean energy initiatives. Responding to a question on the Building Better Tomorrow (BBT) initiative and its potential to inspire similar youth-driven programmes across the EAC, she said the programme aims to increase agricultural growth to 10 per cent by 2030.
“The programme provides youths with access to land, irrigation systems and training. “So far, 8,000 young people are thriving in agriculture, fishing and beekeeping under the programme,” she said.
Kenyan President William Ruto also underscored the importance of collective leadership and regional collaboration to advance the EAC’s vision. He highlighted the bloc’s achievements as Africa’s most progressive regional economic community, with intra-trade levels at 25 per cent to 28 per cent, the highest on the continent.
Acknowledging Tanzania’s recent success in overtaking Kenya in regional trade volumes in the aspect of service provision, President Ruto commended the overall growth in economic integration.
Dr Ruto further stressed the need for stability and peace to sustain development, citing Kenya’s efforts in mediating regional conflicts, including in South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He called for unifying peace processes in the DRC to bolster regional security, aligning with the EAC’s goal of fostering economic growth and political integration.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC was signed on 30 November 1999 in Arusha, Tanzania and came into force on 7 July 2000, following its ratification by the three original Partner States: the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni reflected on the missed opportunities in 1963 to form an East African political federation.
He commended Tanganyika and Zanzibar for their 1964 unification to form Tanzania, which became a cornerstone for regional liberation efforts and the fight against Idd Amin in Uganda.
Museveni argued that if the federation had been established earlier, it could have resolved conflicts in Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan with less bloodshed.
He acknowledged the efforts of leaders like Benjamin Mkapa and Daniel Arap Moi, who played a crucial role in restoring EAC and laying the foundation for economic and political integration.
President Museveni called for renewed efforts to consolidate East Africa’s integration and overcome barriers like trade restrictions that hinder growth. He further said that integration is not only about creating prosperity through larger markets for goods and services but also about ensuring strategic security for the region.
Citing Swahili as a unifying factor, he highlighted the shared cultural heritage as a strength for deepening ties.
