East African Community to establish creative and cultural industry body
Available statistics have it that the EAC bloc earns a whopping $2 billion from the creative industry every year. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Available statistics have it that the EAC bloc earns a whopping $2 billion from the creative industry every year.
Arusha. A creative and cultural industry body will be created in East Africa to develop and tap the full potential of the sector.
A bill to the effect will be tabled before the regional Parliament currently holding a session in Kigali, Rwanda.
The proposed legislation intends to promote the creative and cultural industries in the East African Community (EAC) bloc.
The EAC Creative and Cultural Industries Bill is one of the three key bills set for tabling in the Eala session which extends to December 7th.
Under it, an entity called the Creative and Cultural Industries Development Council will be established to serve the industry in East Africa.
The body will provide an environment that is conducive for enhancement and stimulation of creativity and innovation endeavours among the EAC citizenry.
Available statistics had it that the EAC bloc earns a whopping $2 billion from the creative industry every year.
That is nearly 20 times the annual budget of the Arusha-based regional organization.
The creative industry is seen as one of the growing sectors not only in income but also in employment and export trade.
It is estimated that it accounts for three percent of the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region.
The ‘industry’ largely manifests in the rich cultural heritage the region is endowed with as well as innovation and creativity by the artists.
Besides performing arts, the creative industry also ranges from films, designs, fashion and music to software and video games.
Two other bills to be tabled before the two week sitting of the House are the EAC Pharmaceuticals Bill and the EAC Livestock Bill. The pharmaceutical bill intends to provide for cooperation in health and promote the management of health delivery systems. On the other hand, the livestock bill intends to provide for the trans-boundary movement of livestock and control of livestock diseases in the bloc.
Once enacted, it will provide for coordinated identification, characterization, mapping and enumeration of livestock.
It also seeks to strengthen the detection, prevention and control of trans-boundary animal diseases.
At the same time, the proposed legislation shall provide for a regulatory framework to monitor pastoral ecosystems.
