INTRODUCTION

The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, CEPGL in short, was created on September 20, 1976 by three founding Member States; BURUNDI, DR CONGO and RWANDA. Its headquarters are in Gisenyi/Rubavu in Rwanda. Herman TUYAGA, Burundian, is the current Executive of CEPGL. He is assisted by Mr. Joseph LITITIYO AFATA, Congolese, the Acting Deputy Executive Secretary in Charge of Economic Integration and Mr. Epimaque NZANZURWANDA, Acting Executive Secretary in charge Administrative, Financial and Socio-cultural Affairs.

OBJECTIVES AND STATUTORY BODIES OF CEPGL

1. Objectives of CEPGL

Pursuant to Article 2 of the Convention establishing the CEPGL, the member states have assigned CEPGL four objectives, namely:

1) ensure first and foremost the security of states and their populations so that no element disrupts the order and peace on their respective borders.

2) design, define and promote the creation and development of activities of common interest;

3) promote and intensify trade and movement of people and goods;

4) to cooperate closely in the social, economic, commercial, scientific, cultural, political, military, financial, technical and tourist fields, more especially in judicial, customs, health, energy, transport and telecommunications matters.

2. Statutory bodies of CEPGL

The main bodies of CEPGL are:

• The Conference of Heads of State, (It is the supreme body vested with all powers,
• The Council of Ministers,
• The Permanent Executive Secretariat,
• The Arbitration Commission (now Advisory Commission).

The Conference of Heads of State and the Council of Ministers are political bodies. They dictate the policies of the Community, adopt its action plan and budget and evaluate all the other bodies. The Permanent Executive Secretariat (SEP) is the executing and coordinating organ, even the central organ of the Community. The Arbitration / Advisory Commission is a body for settling disputes between member states.

DESCRIPTION OF CEPGL SPECIALIZED BODIES

1. CEPGL specialized bodies

CEPGL has four (4) specialized organizations committed to achieving its objectives and priorities: BDEGL, EGL, SINELAC and IRAZ. The specialized bodies are placed under the coordination of the Permanent Executive Secretariat.

The 4 specialized organizations are as follows:

1) The Great Lakes States Development Bank (BDEGL).

BDEGL was created by the Agreement establishing the Great Lakes States Development Bank signed in Bujumbura on September 9, 1977. This community bank is headquartered in Goma, DR Congo.

The objectives of the BDEGL are:

1. Promote the economic and social development of the Member States;
2. Strengthen cooperation between the Member States by financing common, community and national projects aimed at integrating their economies;
3. Mobilize public and private, internal and external financial resources for the development of Member States;
4. Provide Member States and their national development institutions with technical assistance in the studies, preparation and implementation of projects.

The Bank's shareholders are as follows: RDC 35.5%; BURUNDI 18.5%; RWANDA 18.5%; BELGIUM 9.8; BAD 8.26; SONAS 2.52; REGIDESO 2.21%; SONARWA 1.61%; Various institutions in member states 3.04; BELGOLAISE 0.003%.

2) The CEPGL Organization for Great Lakes Energy (EGL).

Created in 1974 by treaty with the legal status of a non-profit (intergovernmental) association, the EGL was integrated into the CEPGL as its specialized body by the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the practical modalities of integration of the EGL within CEPGL signed on 05/24/1980. Its headquarters are in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The mission of EGL is to ensure cooperation between member countries in the field of energy in all its forms and thus contribute to the socio-economic development of the sub-region. The organization focuses its activities on three strategic axes:

1. regional planning of the energy sector and analysis of the energy policies of each country with a view to developing common policies for the exploitation of available energy resources;
2. the realization of community energy projects taking into account

environmental impacts; these are the identification, design, evaluation and execution of regional energy projects;

1. training, information and popularization with a view to strengthening national capacities in the management, planning and management of energy projects and in the definition of energy policy.

3) The Agronomic and Zootechnical Research Institute (IRAZ).

IRAZ was created by the Agreement establishing the Agronomic and Zootechnical Institute signed in Lubumbashi, DRC on December 9, 1979. IRAZ is headquartered in Gitega, Burundi.

The mission of IRAZ is to promote economic growth, fight poverty, contribute to the eradication of famine and sustainably manage natural resources through a collective regional use of agricultural research products and technologies and zootechnics for development in CEPGL member countries.

4) The International Company of Electricity of the Great Lakes Countries (SINELAC).

Created by the Convention of November 1, 1983, it has its head office in Bukavu, DRC.

An international company common to the three member states of CEPGL, SINELAC's mission is to operate the RUZIZI II hydroelectric plant and its outbuildings, as well as to market the energy produced by this plant to the three National Electricity Companies (SNE), namely REGIDESO (Burundi), SNEL (DRC) and REG (formerly ELECTROGAZ Rwanda).

The common exploitation of this water resource has strengthened the bonds of solidarity and interdependence in energy between the member states. The power station was built between 1983 and 1989, with an annual production potential of 200 GWH. The maximum power of the plant is 44 MW. The energy produced by SINELAC is sold to national electricity companies.