THE East African Community (EAC) Secretary General's Private Sector Organizations (PSOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) joint consultative dialogue on the evaluation and implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol meeting opens in Dar es Salaam on Monday.

During the two-day assembly, the EAC Secretariat will provide an overview on the status of the implementation of the Common Market in the EAC and the representatives from private sector.

The civil society will present on their practical experiences and challenges in monitoring the implementation of the Common Market in the field of free movement of professionals, employment creation for youth, women in business and in the field of improved quality of health services and products.

"Enhanced participation of PSOs and CSOs is expected to increase citizens' awareness on the benefits of the regional integration as well as their active demand for the rights and freedoms provided under the Common Market Protocol," it added.

Lack of participation of private sector and civil society has been acknowledged as one of the factors for the collapse of the first EAC. As a result, the EAC has developed a consultative framework for private sector, civil society and other interest groups in the EAC integration process, which was adopted at the last Council meeting in Nairobi.

The Forum has been organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with German Development Agency (GIZ), Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) and the Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA). The SG stakeholder's workshop will as well be attended by various institutions and organs of the community and concerned ministries from the partner states.