Our Chief Guest, the President of the East African Court of Justice
Honourable Justice Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja;
The Chief Executive Officer of the East Africa Law Society; Mr Hannington Amol,
Members of Management present,
The Dean School of Law, Dr. Fancy Too,
Members of the civil society,
Representatives of different organisations and institutions across East Africa,
Members of Kabarak University staff,
Students
Distinguished guests and panellists,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I take this opportunity to officially welcome you to the Kabarak University Law School 3rd International Virtual Conference which runs today and tomorrow.
This virtual conference brings the East African Community together to dialogue and assess the progress made by the Community over the last 20 years after its re-establishment in July 2000. This conference brings together distinguished panellists and participants from EAC member states and beyond. It provides a unique platform to engage on the place and value of regional integration. It's a call to introspect. To see what has worked and what hasn't. To identify the achievements made so far and to design a pathway forward.
It is my hope that this conference will provide a convenient avenue for an honest conversation about and a deep analysis of all these issues with a view to improving discourses about the East Africa Community. In the end, it is my belief that we shall come up with ideas to ensure that the Community achieves its 4 main pillars of EAC regional integration; Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation.
This virtual conference is in deed, in line with the commitment of Kabarak University to its core mandate of teaching and research by seeking to create linkages among various actors with the academy.
Once more, I welcome you to Kabarak University and I wish to declare this conference officially open.
Having officially welcomed you to this year's conference, I now take this opportunity to introduce our Key note speaker and invite him to address you.
Our key note speaker is a man who needs no introduction.
Hon. Justice (Dr.) Emmanuel Ugirashebuja is the President of the East African Court of Justice. He previously served as the Dean of the Law School, University of Rwanda; Member of the Superior Council of Judiciary; Member of the Supreme Council of Prosecution; Senior Lecturer at the National University of Rwanda; Member of the Team of Experts in the East African Community on Fears, Challenges and Concerns towards the East African Political Federation; a Legal Advisor at the Rwanda Environment Authority; and a Legal Advisor at the Rwandan Constitution Commission.
Welcome Justice Ugirashebuja and I wish all of you fruitful deliberations.
