The East African Community (EAC) has embarked on cultural diplomacy in order to promote investments into the region.
United States-based diplomats from the region believe if well promoted the African culture can spark interest in the region.
"We need to encourage and organize East African cultural festivals to popularise our region", said the Tanzania ambassador to the US Ambassador Elsie Kanza.
She said this during a consultative virtual meeting between EAC envoys based there with the secretary general Peter Mathuki.
She challenged the EAC secretariat in Arusha to avail marketing materials to all ambassadors from the region.
These, she said, will advertise the six nation bloc, its products and competitiveness in the global markets.
They would also clarify to potential investors and trade partners on how to overcome the non-tariff barriers (NTBs).
Dr. Mathuki said the meeting has been convened to cultivate cultural diplomacy in order to promote investments in the EAC bloc.
The Washington-based envoys from the six countries called on the secretariat to identify "specific competitive sectors" for marketing to the potential investors.
Kenya ambassador to the US Lazarus Amayo noted the need for EAC to promote itself as a single tourist and investment destination.
"EAC needs to be proactive in pushing the integration agenda in the US to prompt interest in investment and development partners", he said.
Mull Katende, Uganda's envoy to the US, said the region's competitiveness can be promoted through industrialization, among others.
His counterpart from South Sudan Phillip Jada called on East Africans living in the diaspora to be proactive in promoting the economic potentials of the region.
"They should utilize regional institutions such as the East African Chamber of Commerce to provide forums of engagement", he said.
Other envoys who spoke called for reduction of persistent NTBs which, they feared, continue to hamper intra-regional trade and trade with other African countries.
Dr. Mathuki said the meeting with the region's envoys based in Washington was a deliberate move to reach out to the vast US market.
It was recently announced that a high-powered delegation of business people from the US will visit the EAC region next year to seek trade and investment opportunities.
"We want to re-engage the East African Community (EAC) bloc in a two-day trade", said Ken Walsh, a senior commercial attache in Tanzania.
He noted, however, that the mission expected in the region in October, will focus on investment opportunities in the agri-business sector.
According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), in 2019 EAC exported goods valued at $ 704million to the US against $1.124billion imports.
The value slightly declined to $681,299 (exports) and $963,010 for imports last year due to disruptions by Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that his country, the world's strongest economy, was keen on a sustained trade partnership with the EAC.
In 2015, for instance, the US and EAC signed agreements on trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) as well as a halt to technical barriers to trade.
Lately the EAC has initiated negotiations on the EAC-US Investment Treaty and inaugurated a commercial dialogue on the same.
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