Aggrey Mutambo
29 June 2011
Nairobi — East Africa’s social policies must be reviewed to accommodate recent changes in the region, a workshop in Nairobi was told on Wednesday.
Delegates attending the Third Meeting of the Forum of EAC Ministers Responsible for Social Development heard that newer problems such as increased youth unemployment, disability, corruption and food shortage demand that fresher methods be used in tackling them.
“We are facing new issues like irregular weather patterns and food insecurity. This demands that we check again how we have been trying to solve our social problems,” said Charles Lwanga-Ntale, a delegate from the Development Initiatives, an NGO.
The East African Social Development Agenda adopted three years ago fails to tackle how the youth in the region can be absorbed in employment.
“It will be important that this forum provides suggestions to help come up with a policy for this problem,” said Perpetue Miganda, EAC Gender and Community Development officer.
At the forum, delegates said that many of the programmes initiated by social departments fail because they do not involve ministries of finance in their planning. Finance ministries are charged with allocation of money to all government departments.
But the Kenyan delegation said it has improved on this collaboration.
“We are working hand in hand with the Finance Ministry. In fact they are the ones telling us what to do,” said Wakio Riga, the Director of Social and Gender Development in the Ministry of Gender and Social Affairs.
In Kenya, the government’s attempt to launch the Kazi Kwa Vijana project meant to reduce unemployment has ran into difficulties with some critics arguing that it wastes the learned labour force because much of it involves menial jobs.
The eight-day conference that started Wednesday in Nairobi has brought together delegates from the East African Community members; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
Delegates will be charged with reviewing the communities social documents such as the Social Development Framework after which they will present a report to the EAC ministers for social affairs.
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Regional Social Policies Need Review – Forum