ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, DR. RUHAKANA RUGUNDA

A speech delivered by Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Minister of Internal Affairs, at the launch of the EAPCCO-ISS Environmental Crime Project in Entebbe on July 30-31, 2008. The address outlines the scale of environmental crime in East Africa and the objectives of a new regional partnership to strengthen law enforcement capacity.

• Environmental crime is a global issue driven by high profits and low risks, ranking second only to drug trafficking worldwide. According to U.S. Justice Department estimates, international syndicates earn between $22-31 billion annually from activities including hazardous waste dumping, smuggling proscribed materials, and trafficking protected natural resources. Specifically, illegal logging and forest product trade generate $5-8 billion per year, while hazardous waste dumping contributes $10 billion annually.
• The joint EAPCCO-ISS project on environmental crime is a 36-month initiative committing over four million Euros to support eight Sub-Saharan African countries. The project aims to strengthen the capacity to enforce laws through training police officers in investigation and prosecution, creating an updated environmental crime database in collaboration with EAPCCO and INTERPOL, and facilitating a coordinated regional approach to trans-boundary enforcement.
• Environmental crime in Africa is exacerbated by a lack of political and financial backing for enforcement agencies, inadequate training for customs and police, and corruption. A study by Cambridge University concluded that African countries with the highest perceived corruption levels also experience the most rapid loss of biodiversity and species.
• Specific regional examples of environmental crime include the seizure of 157 containers of illegal logs in Tanzania in September 2004 and the 'sandal wood saga' in Kenya. In Central African countries such as the DRC, Congo (Brazzaville), and Cameroon, it is estimated that up to 50% of timber exports are illegal. Additionally, Traffic International reports dramatic growth in the illicit bush meat trade across Southern and Eastern Africa, which is believed to have a greater impact on wild animal populations than any other wildlife activity.

APA

Rugunda, R. (2008). ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, DR. RUHAKANA RUGUNDA. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECPRUGUNDA.PDF

Chicago

Rugunda, Ruhakana. ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, DR. RUHAKANA RUGUNDA. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECPRUGUNDA.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Rugunda |first1=Ruhakana |title=ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, DR. RUHAKANA RUGUNDA |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=30 July 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECPRUGUNDA.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rugunda2008address, author = {Rugunda, Ruhakana}, title = {{ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, DR. RUHAKANA RUGUNDA}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECPRUGUNDA.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }