East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th June 2022: The EAC Partner States have re-affirmed their commitment to equip their Armed Forces, police and security stakeholders with training on peace support operations following the successful completion of the 12th EAC Armed Forces Field Training Exercise, dubbed “Ushirikiano Imara 2022”.
The 2-week training, held in Jinja, Uganda, aimed at enhancing Partner States’ Defence Forces’ capabilities in jointly combatting complex security challenges faced in the region.
Speaking, at the closing ceremony of the exercise, EAC Secretary General Hon.(Dr.) Peter Mathuki noted that the region continues to be faced with real and potential complex emergencies, which can easily translate into threats to the social economic, cultural and political wellbeing of the people of East Africa.
“These threats range from porous borders and proliferation of small arms and light weapons, internal strife, terrorism and insecurity and it is thus critical for the region to develop its capacity to handle such emergencies and threats,” Dr.Mathuki said.
The East African Community Co-operation in Defence provides an opportunity for the security forces to chart a way forward on the region’s security challenges.
“We need unity, peace, stability and strength to defend our common interests as East Africans. This will in effect provide a conducive and attractive environment for investment and development of the region,” he said.
The exercise was held in accordance with the EAC Defence Sector calendar of activities and under the provisions of the East African Community Protocol on Cooperation in Defence Affairs whose four pillars include, military training, joint operations, technical cooperation; visits and exchange of information.
This year, all Partner States sent their contingents except the region’s new member the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with General Celestin Mbala Munsense, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the DRC representing the country at the closing ceremony.
The objectives of the Field Training Exercise “Ushirikiano Imara 2022”, included among others; to enhance interoperability between the EAC Partner States’ Defence Forces and other key stakeholders, to evaluate the readiness of the EAC Partner States’ Defence Forces and key stakeholders in response to complex security challenges; and to practice the EAC Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Peace Support Operations, Disaster Management, and Counter Terrorism and Counter Piracy operations.
The Exercise was also meant to practice participants on Command, Control, Communication and information in combined joint operations.
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, 8th June, 2022: The 42nd Ordinary Meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers is currently underway via hybrid (physical and virtual) means.
The four-day meeting is being conducted through the session of Senior Officials from today, Wednesday, 8th June, 2022 to Thursday, 9th June, 2022 while the session of the Coordination Committee (Permanent /Principal/Under Secretaries) is set for Friday, 10th June, 2022 to Saturday, 11th June, 2022. The Ministerial Session will take place at a later date.
Among the items on the agenda are the considerations of various reports including those on: the Implementation of Previous Decisions of the Council; Office of the Secretary General; Planning and Infrastructure, and; Productive and Social Sectors.
Other matters to be considered are: Political Matters; Customs and Trade; Finance and Administration Matters; and Reports of other EAC Organs, namely the East African Legislative Assembly and East African Court of Justice.
The Council is also expected to consider the report of the Audit Commission on Audited Financial Statements of the Community for the Financial Year ended 30th June, 2021 and Appointment of New Members to the EAC Audit and Risk Committee.
The Council of Ministers is the policy-making Organ of the Community. The Council consists of the Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs and/or Regional Cooperation of each Partner State and such other Ministers of the Partner State as each Partner State shall determine.
Among its functions, the Council promotes, monitors and keeps under constant review the implementation of the programmes of the Community and ensures the proper functioning of the regional bloc.
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, 7th June, 2022: African countries have been called upon to prioritise infrastructure development even as they advocate free intra-continental trade through African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) framework.
Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Hon. (Amb.) Liberata Mulamula said that interconnectivity across Africa was crucial if the continent was to exploit its vast potential for industrialisation, trade and investment.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 3rd June 2022: Deepening economic integration, strengthening regional peace and security mechanisms, and implementing the road map for the attainment of the EAC Monetary Union are some of Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki’s key priorities in steering the regional integration agenda in the next year.
The EAC Secretary General underscored these priorities during a virtual forum dubbed, ‘State of the EAC Forum - SG’s 1 year in office,’ seeking to share the progress, achievements, and challenges of the EAC in the last year, and the way forward.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 2nd June, 2022: The East African Community (EAC) has tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) the budget estimates for the 2022/2023 Financial Year totaling US$91,579,215.
Presenting the speech before the Assembly, the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for EAC and Regional Development, Hon. Betty C. Maina, said that the budget estimates for the Financial Year 2022/22023 are being presented at a time when the world’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is under threat from the rising prices of fuel and other commodities, occasioned by the Russian - Ukrainian conflict.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27th May 2022 – Countries in Eastern Africa including Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania have begun cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) after adopting the Regional TVET Qualifications Framework.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting by Hon. Dr. Bekir Shale, the State Minister, Ministry of Labour & Skills, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Dr. Margaret Mwakima, the Principal Secretary State Department of Vocational and Technical Training, Ministry of Education, Republic of Kenya; Prof. Eliamani M. Sedoyeka, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, United Republic of Tanzania, the three countries re-affirmed their “commitment to foster regional integration by adopting the Regional TVET Qualifications Framework and Tanzania and 44 related regional occupational standards developed under EASTRIP”.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 27th May, 2022: The delegation from the Republic of Guinea consisting of Commissioners of Immigration, Police, and Customs, and representatives from the African Capacity Building Center in Moshi, United Republic of Tanzania, paid a working visit to the EAC Headquarters and held discussions with Ag. Director, of Social Sectors at the EAC Secretariat Mr. Stephen Niyonzima on behalf of the EAC Secretary General Hon. (Dr). Peter Mathuki.
The purpose of their visit was to gain insight into the major developments taking place in the integration process as well as challenges experienced within the EAC, especially on areas of Trade and Customs, Peace and Security, and Immigration as well as to share the experience of the same from ECOWAS.
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.
