............Consultations on single currency start   By Arthur Baguma THE East African Community Secretariat has launched a series of consultations in the partner states on the establishment of the East African Monetary Union (EAMU). The consultations run from September 7 to 25 this year. The deputy secretary general of the East African Community in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Alloys Mutabingwa, two consultants from the European Central Bank Erwin Nierop and Scheller Hans Peter, the  EAC principal economist (Fiscal and Monetary), Tharcisse Kadede and other senior officials will spearhead the consultations in the partner states together with the central banks. The consultations will target a broad spectrum of stakeholders and will include the national central banks; ministries of finance, EAC affairs, planning, trade, industry; aapital markets authorities; bureaus of statistics; bankers associations; the academia; parliamentarians; the private sector and the civil society. The consultations kicked off in the United Republic of Tanzania from 7 to 8 September 7 to 8 in Dar es Salaam at the Bank of Tanzania and at the Blue Pearl Hotel; in Kenya consultations were held from 10 to 11 September 10 to 11 in Nairobi at the Central Bank of Kenya and at the Kenya International Conference Centre and in Uganda they were held from 14-15 September 14- 15 at the Bank of Uganda and at the Imperial Royale Hotel. In the Rwanda consultations took place from September 17 to 18 at the National Bank of Rwanda and at the Kigali Serena Hotel; in Burundi from September 21 to 22 at the Source Du Nil Hotel and finally in Arusha, Tanzania from 24 to 25 September 24 to 25. The EAC Secretariat in collaboration with European Central Bank (ECB) is undertaking a comprehensive study on the proposed EAC Monetary Union. Consultative meetings in the five partner states are mainly geared at discussing the preliminary findings of the ongoing Monetary Union study and to finalise the assessment of the preparedness of the partner states for the union. On June 2, this year, the East African Community and the European Central Bank (ECB) entered into a consultancy agreement with regard to the preparation of the study on the establishment of the East African Monetary Union (EAMU) among the EAC partner states. During consultations, various stakeholders in the process towards Monetary Union will be acquainted with issues which are likely to arise in this process. The stakeholders will be introduced to the scope of the study to be finalised and submitted by the ECB to the EAC in January 2010. Stakeholders will also be taken through the prerequisites for Monetary Union; the establishment of the legal and institutional framework necessary for its implementation; the preparatory work for the move to union inclusive of the measures to be taken in replacing the national currencies with the future single currency; and the operational regulatory framework for the union. The stakeholders are expected to actively contribute to the discussions on the establishment of the East African Monetary Union. Following the establishment of the EAC Customs Union in 2005, and the ongoing finalisation of the negotiations of the establishment of the East African Common Market in January 2010, the next major stage in the East African integration process is the Monetary Union. The EAC Heads of State have directed that the East African Monetary Union be in place by 2012. The final report of the Study on the establishment of the Monetary Union to be submitted to the EAC Secretariat in January 2010 will provide a conclusive roadmap on the establishment of a single currency in the region.