East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th July, 2022: The East African Community and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), after signing the respective Government and Implementation Agreements, jointly launched the new project Digitalisation for East African Trade and Integration (DIGEAT) with an official ceremony at the EAC Secretariat.
The German Government committed EUR 3,000,000 through the initiative Digital Africa, which harnesses digital applications to achieve development goals.
The EAC Secretariat and its implementation partner Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) jointly developed the concept for the new project over the past year. DIGEAT aims to simplify the cross-border movement of engineers to render their services in all EAC Partner States. To achieve this objective, the project will improve the relevant regulatory framework and the necessary digital services and tools.
DIGEAT aims to advance on EAC achievements and the cooperation of the EAC Secretariat and GIZ in the Support to East African Market-Driven and People-Centred Integration (SEAMPEC) Project, which has supported the free movement of professionals and provided support to the implementation of the respective Mutual Recognition Agreements for professions such as engineers.
DIGEAT will build on these results with a focus on utilising the benefits of digitalisation and digital applications. To this end, it will work closely with SEAMPEC’s follow-on project, which will start in August 2022 with an overall commission value of EUR 15.3million. SEAMPEC II will contribute to increased intra-regional and continental trade for the benefit of East Africans.
Speaking at the launch, EAC Secretary General Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki lauded GIZ for championing digital programmes to create job opportunities for youths in the region.
“The DIGEAT Project is timely as it finds when the EAC is pushing for all Partner States to leverage on new technologies to support the migration of production and service delivery to digital platforms and enhance e-business opportunities across the region,” he said.
In his remarks, GIZ Country Director Mike Falke highlighted that increased trade in services and the seamless cross-border movement of professionals is a significant step to deepen economic integration in the EAC.
‘In order for this to succeed, the implementation of the existing, and potentially agreement on new, Mutual Recognition Agreements needs to be advanced. With its innovative and consultative approach and utilization of digital tools DIGEAT may offer an efficient and replicable solution, that creates efficiency and ease where currently complex administrative and bureaucratic processes hinder the moving of engineers,’ said Dr. Falke.
DIGEAT’s implementation by the EAC Secretariat will be supported in collaboration with GIZ as part of the long-standing development cooperation between the EAC and Germany. It falls under the cooperation area of Socially and Environmentally Sound Supply Chains, Trade and Sustainable Infrastructure.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 768 552087 Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th July, 2022:The East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Germany have today reaffirmed their long-standing cooperation. EAC Secretary General Hon (Dr.) Peter Mathuki and the Head of the German Delegation, Ms. Claudia Imwolde-Kraemer from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development signed the summary record of the negotiations, following a one-day EAC-German Government meeting on priorities for the development cooperation in the upcoming years, held at the EAC Secretariat headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
As a result of the successful negotiations, the Federal Republic of Germany has committed 29 million euros for extending the existing cooperation in the areas of education and training and conserving nature and natural resources, in particular water.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25th May, 2022: The EAC’s quest to strengthen its partnerships and strategically refocus to respond to East Africans' needs, has today been affirmed by development partners, who committed to support key priorities under the 6th EAC Development Strategy.
This follows the 3rd East African Community Development Partners Group (DPG) Forum held at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, providing a platform for the EAC to share critical priorities anchored in the EAC Vision 2050, the 6th EAC Development Strategy, the Comprehensive COVID-19 recovery plan, and funding needs of the EAC Programmes and Projects.
Addressing the forum, the EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr) Peter Mathuki revealed the 6th EAC Development Strategy is estimated to cost US$ 691.5m over the next five years, with additional resources required to implement other critical regional programmes and projects in the different sectors. These include; 286 Heads of State Infrastructure priority projects and the nine priority projects in the health sector, which require investments amounting to US$78 billion and US$3.5 billion, respectively, over the next ten years.
“We intend to incorporate and mainstream cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth, social safeguards, and poverty reduction in our programmes and projects,” said Dr.Mathuki.
In the wake of DRC’s admission to the bloc, the Secretary General urged the partners to support the implementation of the road-map for the integration of DRC into the EAC.
In addition, the Secretary General implored the Partners to support EAC projects and activities. He expressed concern over the decline in regional funding, caused by competition for resources by other parties over the years, which has furthered bureaucracy, resulting to delays and inefficient implementation of programmes.
On her part, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Republic Tanzania, and Co-chair of the EAC –DPG Forum, H.E Regine Hess, noted that the forum provides an opportunity to promote better coordination of development support to the EAC by various development partners.
Amb. Hess appreciated the willingness of the EAC Secretariat to engage on sector specific priority areas particularly on key regional priorities given the wide and ambitious portfolio of EAC.
“Let me assured the EAC that the development Partners are committed to supporting the key priorities areas as articulated in the 6th EAC Development Strategy,” she said.
The high-level meeting was preceded by technical thematic meetings on Infrastructure and Economic Integrationwhich sought to foster synergies and leverage on the available resources, while avoiding duplication of efforts in financing EAC programmes and projects.
The forum was attended by multiple key development partners, Ambassadors accredited to the EAC; EAC Heads EAC Organs and Institutions, the East African Business Council among other stakeholders.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 768 552087 Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 17th November, 2021: The East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Germany have today firmed up their longstanding cooperation by signing an additional US$11.5 million financing agreement to support water resource management at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC).
Germany further committed an additional US$12.6 million to support the digitalization of trade and integration in the bloc, EAC pandemic preparedness and in integrating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 8th November, 2021: The East African Community (EAC) and Germany sign Agreements on technical and financial cooperation worth up to USD 35 million in the areas of integrated water resource management, economic integration and pandemic preparedness
H.E. the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Tanzania, Regine Hess and the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki have today signed technical and financial cooperation worth up to USD 35 million between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the East African Community (EAC).
These agreements pave the way for the implementation of three new joint development projects.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th September 2021: The Federal Republic of Germany has committed to continue collaborating with the East African Community by supporting regional development programmes and strengthening the integration process.
This follows a virtual joint steering committee meeting by the EAC- German Development Cooperation meeting held today.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 14th July, 2021: The outgoing German Development Bank (KfW) Country Director for the United Republic of Tanzania, Mrs. Annika Calov, on Wednesday 14th July, 2021, bid farewell to EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Mrs. Calov, who was accompanied by her successor, Mrs. Jennifer Woerl, told the Secretary General that she was proud of the positive developments taking place in regional integration in East Africa.
…As Secretariat seeks strengthen cooperation with EU
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 9th June, 2021: The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Hon. Dr. Peter Mathuki has appealed to the European Union (EU) member states to lift sanctions against the Republic of Burundi, noting that the country had opened a new page and was ready to move forward.
Dr. Mathuki said that the EU sanctions on the East African were hurting not only Burundians but the people of the entire region.
“I appeal to the EU that we work together and open a new page for the betterment of the people of the Republic of Burundi,” said Dr. Mathuki.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 17th May, 2021: New momentum for cooperation between the East African Community and the Federal Republic of Germany following the signing of two Government Agreements thus paving the way for the implementation of projects of a total volume of US$65 million in the areas of health, digital skills and water resources management.
The agreements were signed by EAC Secretary General, Hon (Dr.) Peter Mathuki and H.E. Regine Hess, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Republic of Tanzanian and the EAC.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 27th April, 2021: The EAC Secretary General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mathuki, has today undertaken his first assignment as the 6th Secretary General of the EAC in a virtual meeting with the European Union Commission.
The meeting provided the platform to review what is envisaged in the EU Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) for Sub-Saharan Africa 2021-27, taking into account lessons learnt from ongoing actions as well as the current priorities of the EU Commission and Regional Economic Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
