| Published By: | Mary C. Gwera |
|---|
By Faustine Kapama-Judiciary, Arusha
THE President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has asked the Chief Justices from the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justices’ Forum to find ways of ensuring that the African Continental Free Trade Area Settlement Mechanism uses modern technology to speed up the dispensation of justice.
President Samia made such a call today dated October 23, 2023 when officially launching the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justices’ Forum Conference and Annual General Meeting being conducted at Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha.
“I believe you will find an avenue for discussions regarding how best the nexus between national judiciaries and African Continental Free Trade Area Settlement Mechanism can be tailored, shares and allied throughout the Continent for the attainment of our great agenda (...) for the Africa we want...
“You will also have to consider how the African continental free trade dispute resolution body can deploy modern technologies to efficiently, excessively and transparently enhance its role of dispensing interspace trade related justice so as to deepen the intra-African trade relations,” the president said.
Dr. Samia also encouraged the Chief Justices and other delegates to develop home-grown innovation, as was the case for the Tanzania Judiciary during the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate a smooth and rapid hearing of cases of all nature and catalyze the desire to further simply judicial operations.
She said that encouraging such efforts and other home grown technology or technological based solutions in the continental context was vital, as it encourages the spirit of entrepreneurship which is the key driver of economic growth and it allows young people to participate in the economy, shape innovation and stimulate job creation, thereby contributing to greater productivity.
“When such home grown technological solutions are considered within the context of the African Continent Free Trade Area the outcome can visibly be foreseen and first place such innovation can easily cross-technology or technology transfer within African Content Free Trade Area....
“While home grown technology for innovation are essential for our continent economic growth I hasten to state that such innovation cannot be safe without having robust intellectual property or property rights regime to offer adequate protective mechanism to our technological innovation,” the president said.
Dr. Samia pointed out that technological innovations are as well needed so as to address pertinent issues on African Security and other employment crisis through enhanced intra-African Agro-business, trade and investment.
In all such areas, she said, there are intellectual property right related matters to which national judiciaries are also well connected when it comes to resolution and dispute involving such matters.
The president said also that it is a fact that the continent is not only endowed with rich natural resources but also endowed with potential human capital that needs to be effectively honesty through improved search and development frameworks.
She said such frameworks must be well reviewed with adequate protection through harmonizing intellectual property rights, protection laws and mechanism, adequate competitive policy framework and effective dispute resolution mechanisms.
The president said that with adequate intellectual property rights, protection and effective mechanism to facilitate transport technology and resolve commercial related dispute young techno innovators will be assured of enjoyment of their benefit whenever there will be such transfer of technology.
In turn, she said, they will contribute to the industrialization of our continent, which is much needed agenda as it will not only transform our economies, add value and promote trade through greater integration into regional or global value chain but also have to address the issues of unemployment to our young and fast-growing population.
The Head of State reminded the Chief Justices and the delegates that several protocols and annexes have been adopted by the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area frameworks to address the pertinent need of our continent.
Such protocols, she said, include the Protocol of Rules and Procedures on the settlement of disputes. It was of the view of the president that the delegates will have time to examine the entire Africa Continental Free Trade Area framework for a better understanding of its structures.
“The Protocol of Rules and Procedures on the settlement of disputes seeks to covert direct linkage with the role played by the national judiciaries. Effective of this protocol and decision that will emanating from dispute resolution body may have a lot to do with our national judiciaries...
“I hold such view because the decisions of dispute resolution body may need to be fully backed up by fully by other enforcement mechanism at the national level,” she said.
The meeting involves the Chief Justices member countries of the forum such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Mozambique, Seychelles, Botswana, Angola, Zanzibar, Malawi, Lesotho, Mauritius, Zambia and South Africa.
