The East African Community Secretariat is taking part in the ongoing 23rd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP 23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 13th Meeting of Parties to Kyoto Protocol (CMP13) and the 2nd Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, that is taking place from 6th - 17th November, 2017 in Bonn, Germany.
The COP 23 is being organized by Fiji and hosted at the headquarters of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, with the aim of launching nations towards the next level of ambition needed to tackle global warming and put the world on a safer and more prosperous development path. The Conference, coming just two years after the landmark adoption of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, is expected to fuel momentum among cities, states, regions, territories, business and civil society in support of national climate action plans, the internationally-agreed temperature goal and the wider objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The EAC Secretariat has an observer status to UNFCCC processes and is participating in the several COP 23 sessions and is showcasing the milestones, achievements and lessons learned from the implementation of climate change programmes in the region.
As part of the preparations for the forthcoming conference and with financial support from the US Government, the EAC Secretariat organized and facilitated national and regional climate change consultative meetings. The national and regional consultations were undertaken from 12th to 31st October, 2017 with a view to identify national climate change priorities that would inform development of the regional position paper to guide negotiations.
The national consultations devised measures for realization of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and aligned Partner States’ priorities to the EAC roadmap for implementation of the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with GiZ (Uganda) organized and facilitated advocacy and capacity building workshops for the regional Climate Negotiators on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement as part of pre-COP 23 preparations.
EAC Secretariat participation is an opportunity for the EAC delegation to share experiences, success stories and best practices in implementing its Vision 2050, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
Beside the official side events and other events coordinated by the UNFCCC Secretariat, Parties and observer organizations are organizing their own events relating to the climate change negotiation process in different Pavilions and outside the conference premises.
The EAC Secretariat will take this opportunity to engage in bilateral discussions with new and existing Development Partners to assist in implementing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, 10th November, 2017:
A four-day training workshop of media practitioners from the Republic of South Sudan on the East African Community integration came to a close Friday at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The workshop, which attracted participation from 23 Public Communications Officers and journalists from media houses in South Sudan, is part of efforts by the EAC Secretariat to build capacity for RSS stakeholders in the integration process and ensure the smooth entry of the world’s youngest nation into the Community.
Among the resolutions at the end of the workshop was that the Government of South Sudan should urgently strengthen the communications function in its Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Community Affairs and equip it with the tools and resources that will improve access to information on EAC by the media.
It was further agreed that the EAC Secretariat in close collaboration with the RSS Ministry of Trade, Industry and EAC Affairs avails updated documents and timely information to the media for purposes of sensitizing citizens of South Sudan on the integration process.
It was resolved that media houses encourage objective, accurate and responsible coverage of EAC issues free of distortion of facts on the integration.
It was also agreed that public educational materials on the EAC integration and its benefits be developed and distributed to members of the public and other stakeholders in South Sudan.
The objective of the workshop that was organised by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with GIZ, the German Technical Cooperation Agency, was to engage Public Communications Officers and journalists from South Sudan with a view to enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the integration process.
In remarks read on his behalf by the Director of Infrastructure at the EAC Secretariat during the closing session of the workshop, Dr. Kamugisha Kazaura, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko said that the integration of RSS into the Community would not only bring tangible political, socio-cultural and economic benefits to the South Sudan but to the region as a whole.
“The enlargement of the Community will invariably increase intra-regional trade; cross-border investment; elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade, and; enhance economic growth within the region. Our countries stand a better chance to create a globally competitive East Africa as envisioned by the Founding Fathers,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
Amb. Mfumukeko urged the participants to be at the forefront in promoting the EAC integration in to the people of South Sudan.
“As communication cum media practitioners, you will be at the frontline of efforts by the EAC to sensitize the people of South Sudan on the integration process. I urge you to be good ambassadors of the EAC by reporting effectively and with accuracy on EAC issues,” said the Secretary General.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th November, 2017:
‘Diseases don’t have passports – they can cross borders,' the Hon. Jesca Eriyo, Deputy Secretary General Finance and Administration of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, reminded the participants of a three-day regional conference on ‘Lessons for the Future – What East African Experts learned from fighting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa’. The conference was the first of its kind that brought together 50 of the 500 East African doctors, nurses, epidemiologists and many other health specialists who risked their lives by volunteering to be deployed to West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016. According to the World Health Organization, the epidemic killed over 11,000 people and more than 30,000 were infected, and there were real fears that the disease could spread to East Africa and beyond.
The conference, with participation from the African Union, from Regional Economic Communities and Regional Health and Development Organizations, from the WHO AFRO office, the UN and other international development partners as well as representatives from Doctors without Borders and others bodies, was held from 6th to 8th November at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) Duduville Campus in Nairobi, Kenya.
The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat decided to host the conference so that the invaluable experiences and knowledge of these East African health experts could be heard, properly documented, and used to inform lessons for the future for preventing, combating and mitigating future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Over the three days, participants shared their first-hand experiences, discussed the lessons learned and came up with constructive recommendations for future responses. ‘There are some things you can’t learn in a classroom – you only learn from experience,’ said Dr Monica Musenero, WHO’s Field coordinator in Bombali, Sierra Leone and one of the 500 experts from East Africa who volunteered to be deployed to West Africa to help during the Ebola crisis of 2014-16. ’Never in my life did I imagine such an epidemic. It dwarfed everything that had gone before…When I arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone I was unprepared for the horror of what I encountered.’ She compared the experience of fighting Ebola to being at the frontline of a war – ‘except you can’t see the enemy – it’s everywhere.’
Participants discussed the lessons learned from this ‘frontline’ experience and came up with many constructive lessons for improving future responses, including:
Political will is very important for timely declaration and management of epidemics.
Regional and national contingency plans need to be developed and implemented, with adequate resources to prevent and react to future epidemics.
There is a need to establish national and regional teams of experts that can be rapidly deployed in an emergency.
Community engagement is crucial if disease outbreaks are to be effectively contained.
Health systems need to be strengthened and work effectively with other sectors and areas of expertise to ensure a holistic and effective response.
The Hon. Jesca Eriyo said that the lessons learned from the deployed experts’ first-hand experiences would help to strengthen the continents’ future response to outbreaks, and their recommendations would inform the East African Community’s commitment to strengthening health systems and responses, and be presented to the forthcoming East African Head of States summit. She particularly welcomed the participants’ enthusiasm for establishing a pool of experienced experts for rapid deployment in the event of a future emergency.
Dr Zabulon Yeti, head of the WHO AFRO Office in Brazzaville, DRC, welcomed the meeting as an opportunity for deployed exerts to come together and be ‘debriefed’ and talk freely about their experiences. He said he would take five key messages away from the meeting:
Nobody can tackle infectious diseases like Ebola alone. It needs to be a team effort.
Working together leads to better coordination and synergistic actions.
Better local action and early reporting is crucial: the Ebola outbreak in West Africa started with just one case but quickly crossed boundaries and continents.
Ebola is a disease that crossed from animals to humans, so animal and human health and the effects of the environment and climate change are all closely related and need a multi-sectoral ‘One Health’ response.
The key lesson is that containing future outbreaks will need community engagement, and that entails better understanding of culture and traditions and more effective risk communication. Dr Yoti said that some community responders working in West Africa had been stoned and threatened ‘because we did not understand the community.’
Dr Babatunde Jegede from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health in Lagos spoke on behalf of the West African experts who fought Ebola in the affected countries. During a press briefing he stressed the importance of continuous exchange and close cooperation between and among the African regions for better future preparedness. He and his colleagues present at the conference contributed their experiences from fighting the epidemic and took home what they learned from their East African sisters and brothers.
Hon. Eriyo concluded the meeting by thanking all formerly deployed East African experts present who had risked their own lives in the fight against Ebola: ‘From deep down in my heart I thank you and applaud your sacrifice … you will always be celebrated as heroes.’
The conference was organised by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Federal Government of Germany through the GIZ coordinated ‘Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region’ project and in cooperation with GIZ’s Epidemic Preparedness Team (Schnell Einsetzbare Expertengruppe Gesundheit, SEEG) and the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, KfW) supported ‘EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases’.
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For more information, please contact:
Kenneth K. Byoona Risk and Crisis Communication Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region, GIZ Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 8th November 2017:
A four-day INTERPOL - EAC joint training workshop for Heads of Anti-Drug/Narcotics and Human Trafficking in the EAC Partner States is underway in Nairobi, Kenya.
The main purpose of the Joint Training is to increase knowledge of Police Officers involved in curbing the two Transnational Organised Crimes (TNOCs) in the region; share experience on policy and best practices in Partner States on control of Human and Drug trafficking; contribute towards enhancing efficiency of investigators through documenting the changing dynamics in drug and human trafficking in the region; and identify constraints to the implementation of Anti-Drug/Narcotics and Human Trafficking control measures and draw practical strategies on the way forward.
Addressing the opening session of the workshop on Tuesday 7th November 2017, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr. Charles Njoroge disclosed that the EAC Peace and Security Sector was developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Jointly Combating Transnational Organised Crime of which Human and Drug Trafficking were some of the Key crimes targeted. He said so far the Community had completed the first set of SOPs of which the “Stop, Search, Arrest and Detention Procedures” was very relevant to the participants’ work. “These SOPs have already been adopted by the EAC Chiefs of Police as well as the 17th EAPCCO General Assembly, and you can now refer to it or use it while carrying out your duties”, asserted the EAC official.
The Deputy Secretary General commended the INTERPOL Regional Bureau for working closely with the EAC Secretariat in realising this great achievement and urged Partner States to continue taking the lead in developing such joint initiatives such as the joint training workshop, which will reinforce both personnel and institutional capacities of the Police Forces/Services in the bloc.
Mr. Njoroge reiterated that harmonization remains key in the EAC integration agenda towards the attainment of the ultimate goal of the EAC Political Federation and all the four integration stages embrace harmonization and approximation of laws and policies. “As such, the security agencies like the Police cannot be left behind since they play a significant role touching on the free movement of people, goods, and services across the region. In conducting Joint Trainings, we are harmonizing so as to proactively get rid of non-trade barriers in the integration process by having uniform standards and approaches in place that jointly guide the way we handle people, goods or even exhibits across the region”.
Notes to Editors
The EAC Secretariat has received funding through the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) Support Programme, to undertake the above joint training. The training will introduce investigators to the new investigative skills, crime trends, and investigative technologies and also take stock of the existing investigative challenges as compiled from the previous benchmark visits within the EAC Region.
The Training is being organised in line with the Directive of the 3rd Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Interstate Security to respond to the identified investigative gaps and challenges within the two transnational crime areas for purposes of convergence and harmonization of practices through training in the region.
The training will involve both lectures, group assignments, participatory discussions, presentations, brainstorming sessions and a benchmark visits to key Government Anti Human and Anti-Drug Trafficking Centres including a visit to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi as a field trip on systems and procedures pertaining to detection, investigation, and arrest and prosecution of the suspects in the two TNOCs.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
A joint workshop for the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) from ACE I and ACE II is underway in Accra, Ghana, from 7-10th November, 2017. The 22 Centers of Excellence from West and Central Africa and 24 Centers from Eastern and Southern Africa are meeting for the first time to learn from peers, and share knowledge, experiences and success stories. It’s an opportunity for the 46 centers to review their progress, deliberate on the challenges and collectively come up with solutions. The workshop was officially opened by the Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
Hon. Opoku said the Centers should be “models to drive changes that will entrench Higher Education Institutions as principal producers of knowledge that directly impact on socio-economic development,” he said. “This after all,” he added, “is what the mission of Higher Education institutions must be about.”
Kathleen C. Beegle, who represented Heny Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia said that the ACE project is leading ground breaking research to bring new solutions to problems in the region. “For example, the Africa Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases based at Reedemer University in Nigeria published world class research on the Ebola virus in Nature Science about where the first sample of Ebola was tested in Nigeria within a short time frame, and which strong scientific capacity was integral in battling the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and the region.”
The Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence, an initiative of participating African governments and the World Bank was launched as a key step towards providing the higher education necessary to strengthen competitiveness and employment through production of quality skilled human resources in priority growth sectors. The 46 Centers are working in health, information technology, energy, agriculture, extractive industries, transport, education, statistics, material science and mining and water management and infrastructure. The phase one in West and Central Africa (ACE I) started in 2013 with 22 Centers of Excellence in eight countries and has advanced in implementation. The phase two in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACE II) was launched in 2016 with 24 Centers of Excellence in eight countries. Both ACE I and ACE II will be financed with $313 million dollars over the project period of five years, with $165 million for ACE I and $148 million for ACE II.
Andreas Blom, World Bank Task Leader for ACE I called on the Centers to aim for academic excellence. He revealed that from ACE I, 50 new PhD students are graduating this year, of which one third is regional students. “This is an investment that makes sense, it’s an investment that produces results. If you can keep producing those results we can keep arguing for more money for higher education in science and technology development education in Africa.”
He said that a third phase (ACE III) is in the pipeline. “We are looking at another $200 million investment but only if we keep producing results.” He emphasized the scarcity of high level skills in water, health, mining, oil and gas in Africa and how industrialists keep getting consultants from outside the region to do the work. “Real development is skills and knowledge that lies in Africa,” he said. “Step out and get your faculty and students to solve real life problems.”
Xiaoyan Liang, Task Leader for ACE II noted that while Africa can still prioritize different levels of education at different stages of economic development, higher education must be part and parcel of the reform agenda.
“The ongoing investment and economic transformation in Africa is boosting the demand for well-educated and skilled labor force. Yet there remains a large gap between the demand and supply of skills,” said Liang.
“We have done our homework to ensure that each center while catering to the needs of their respective country’s higher education arena is also conscious of the entire region,” she said, adding, “Some of these interventions include developing new and relevant masters, Ph.D. programs and short term courses, research, provision of teaching and learning facilities, capacity building of faculty, scholarship for students, motion of partnership with regional and international world class institutions as well as the private sector, and generating revenues.”
Prof. Etienne Ehouan Ehile, Secretary General, Association of African Universities (AAU) said the joint meeting will provide a platform for learning and knowledge sharing among the two ACEs, and an opportunity for guidance on improving university linkages and collaboration.
Prof. Mike Kuria, Deputy Executive Secretary at Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) said, “The Centers of Excellence give us what Barack Obama would have called the audacity of hope. The Centers of Excellence are giving us an opportunity to take the destiny of Africa in our hands. They are going to become a beacon of hope, they are going to become centers against which other universities and institutions can benchmark so that we can have excellence in those serious fields.”
AAU and IUCEA are the Regional Facilitation Units for ACE I and ACE II respectively. The project is in 16 countries including Cote D’ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Senegal. Gambia, Burundi and Zimbabwe which do not host any ACE are eligible to access services offered by the ACEs in other countries and regional capacity building activities under the project.
For more information on ACE I and ACE II, visit the project websites https://ace.aau.org/ and http://www.ace2.iucea.org
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For more information, please contact:
Agnes Asiimwe Okoth Information and Communication Officer ACE II Project Mob: +256752980079 (UG) ace2.iucea.org/
EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 8th November 2017:
H.E Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda on Monday 6th November, 2017, toured the EAC Partner States stand at the World Travel Market (WTM) and recognized the joint tourism promotion efforts by the Partner States. The President was at the World Tourism Market to receive his World Tourism Awards given in recognition of his efforts to foster sustainable tourism development in Rwanda. The award exemplified the commitment by East African leaders in promoting sustainable tourism.
Meanwhile, the EAC High Commissioners/ Ambassadors in London, Heads of Tourism Boards for Partner States, and the Secretariat staff held a pre- WTM meeting on 5th November 2017 at the Uganda High Commission premises.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 8th November, 2017:
The East African Community (EAC) together with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will launch the first ever EAC Industrial Competitiveness Reports (ICR, 2017) on 10th November 2017, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The aim of the ICR is to provide a compass to policy-makers, the private sector (in particular manufacturing firms and associations), and generally a wider range of stakeholders on the broad direction of the industrial development trajectory of the EAC and of the internal competitiveness dynamics among Partner States.
The report assesses EAC’s industrial performance vis-à-vis other regions and role models in Asia and Africa and sheds light on strategic short- and long-term industrialization paths that EAC should pursue.
The Draft report has been presented and discussed at various consultative meetings culminating in its validation, by the programme Regional Steering Commitee, at the regional workshop held in March 2017 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Speaking ahead of the launch the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sector, Hon Christophe Bazivamo, said the report provides a synopsis on the ‘State of Industrial Competitiveness in the region and highlights the policy actions required to restore or sustain competitiveness.
Notes to Editors
The EAC Secretariat in collaboration with UNIDO is implementing a programme on “Strengthening Capacities for Industrial Policy Formulation and Implementation in the East African Community” which was approved by the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment during its meeting held on 22nd May 2015.
Through the Programme specific trainings have been delivered at both regional and national levels to create, among others, capacity for industrial competitiveness analysis as envisaged in the EAC Industrialization Policy and Strategy. As a result, the programme has greatly contributed to enhancement of capacity for industrial policy analysis, design, monitoring and evaluation at Partner States and the Secretariat levels.
To ensure sustainability and full use of knowledge acquired in the trainings, the Secretariat in collaboration with UNIDO and a team of experts from Partner States took the initiative of preparing an EAC Industrial Competitiveness Report, 2017 (ICR-2017).
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 7th November, 2017:
A four-day training workshop on the East African Community integration process for Public Communications Officers and journalists from media houses in the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) kicked off at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania today.
The workshop is part of a comprehensive capacity building programme on the integration process to enhance the young nation’s integration into the Community.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Infrastructure, Eng. Kamugisha Kazaura, at the official opening of the workshop, EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, said that the Community had put in place a roadmap to gradually integrate the world’s youngest nation into the Community’s structures, programmes and activities.
“The capacity building programme for RSS government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and other stakeholders will focus on all aspects around the EAC integration,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
He said that the EAC Heads of State Summit had at their 18th Ordinary Meeting held in Dar es Salaam on 20th May, 2017 appointed a judge from South Sudan to sit on the bench of the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice which is based in Arusha.
“RSS will later appoint a judge to the Court’s Appellate Division once the relevant laws are amended to raise the number of judges from five to six. RSS has also appointed a Defence Liaison Officer to the EAC Secretariat as is required of all Partner States,” said the Secretary General.
“The Judiciary in the RSS also agreed to provide space for the EACJ to establish a sub-registry like is the case in the capital cities of the other EAC Partner States,” said Amb. Mfumukeko, adding that the sub-registry would enable any person who files a case with the Court to do so in Juba without traveling all the way to Arusha.
On the East African Legislative Assembly, the Secretary General disclosed that the South Sudan National Legislative Assembly had already elected nine Members of Parliament to represent the country in the Assembly.
“The Assembly will start its business the moment the Republic of Kenya finalizes the election of the country’s MPs to the regional Parliament,” he said.
The training has drawn nine Public Communication Officers from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and 14 reporters/editors from various media houses in South Sudan. The objective of the training is to actively engage the participants with a view to enhancing their appreciation of the EAC integration process.
The Secretary General singled out the media as a strategic ally in the integration process saying that the Community would always endeavour to strengthen its relationship with the media for efficient communication.
He said that the EAC has overtime organised media training workshops on specific sectors and specialized matters on the integration so that journalists can report EAC issues effectively and with accuracy.
“The mass media are powerful tools for raising awareness on various issues. The media therefore stand out as a special stakeholder group that ought to be educated if the EAC integration message is to trickle down to opinion leaders at the grassroots,” he said.
In his remarks, the GIZ Programmes Officer, Mr. Bernd Multhaup, said that there was a lot of information coming out of the EAC daily in various sectors including education, culture, ICT, political affairs, tourism, among other areas.
“I urge you to be creative, investigative and honest in delivering content to the public. Responsible journalism is at the centre of building nations, fostering peace and unity among the different stakeholders and this can be of particular benefit to a young nation like yours and East Africa,” Mr. Multhaup told the participants.
Noting that regional integration was a process that would take time, Multhaup urged the participants to lobby their government, the civil society, citizens and other non-state actors to join in, and create a powerful knowledge base on the benefits of EAC integration.
“Today, a unique training starts, especially focused on building your capacities as editors, journalists and communication officers. Take advantage of this opportunity and challenge your writing and reporting skills,” he said.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 7th November 2017:
Preparations are in high gear for the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development slated for 29th November 2017 at the Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala Uganda.
Convened under the Theme “Deepening and Widening Regional Integration in Infrastructure and Health Sector Development in the EAC Partner States”, the Joint Retreat will be the first engagement of the EAC Heads of State to address health issues and the fourth on matters of infrastructure financing and development.
The Joint Retreat is expected to give impetus to infrastructure and health development by way of possible funding commitments, political support to flagship projects, possible Public Private Partnership arrangements as well as the development of a projects implementation roadmap.
On Infrastructure matters, the Heads of State are expected to address the development of quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure and quicker delivery of the same, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all. In addition the Heads of State will discuss rapid enhancement of transport efficiency in the EAC through the development of interconnected multimodal transport systems (rail, road, pipelines, inland waterways, airports and seaports among others), which would result in the reduction of transportation costs and times and improved movement of the factors of production.
With regard to the health sector, the Heads of State Retreat will seek to build consensus on regional health sector investment priorities for the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals; Mobilize investments for the identified health sector priorities; as well as revitalize regional partnerships and linkages for improved health outcomes in the EAC Partner States.
The Joint Retreat will be preceded by separate Infrastructure and Health sector Investors’ and Development Partners’/Donor’s roundtables scheduled for 28th November 2017 at the same venue. The sub-themes for the infrastructure and health sector components are, “Enhancing Infrastructure Development to Facilitate Trade and Accelerate Industrialization in the EAC” and “Investing in Health Infrastructure, Systems, Services and Research for the Accelerated Attainment of Universal Health Coverage and Health-Related Sustainable Development Goals” respectively.
The Retreat Programme includes an Infrastructure and Health Sector International Exhibition that will run from 28th to 29th November, also at the Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala Uganda. The Exhibition will provide a platform for players in the Infrastructure and Health sectors to showcase new products and services as well as exhibit the latest advances in research and innovation.
Exhibitors will include Pharmaceutical and Medical Technologies Manufactures and Dealers; Health Insurance Providers; Regional Centres of Excellence for Healthcare; Network of Reference Laboratories; Traditional/alternative Medicine Producers, Infrastructure Contractors (Ports, Railways, Airlines, Oil and Gas); Investment Banks; Telecommunication Companies; Civil Society Organizations; Community Based Organizations; Private Sector; Academic and Research Institutions; as well as Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies among many others.
The Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development is being organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the EAC Partner States and leading international and regional Development Partners.
For more information on the Joint Retreat, visit the retreat website: www.eacihr17.eac.int
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 7th November, 2017:
The Board of Directors and staff from the East African Business Council (EABC) led by the Chairman, Mr. Jim Kabeho yesterday met the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko at the EAC headquarters, in Arusha ,Tanzania .
The two parties had an in-depth discussion on areas of collaboration and key priority projects that can make a difference in the region as well as generate results for the integration process.
Addressing the meeting, the EAC Secretary General Amb Liberat Mfumukeko informed the EABC Board of Directors that EAC has developed the 5th EAC Development Strategy under the EAC Vision 2050 which will provide strategic direction for the Community for the next 5 years. The goal is to build a firm foundation for transforming the East African Community into a stable, competitive and sustainable lower middle income region by 2021. The participation and the involvement of private sector is key towards the achievement of this goal, added, Secretary General.
He informed the EABC Board Members that for the last three or so years EAC has been seized of the importance of putting the East African business sector at the heart of promoting intra-regional trade and investments. “I am optimistic that by the end of our meeting, we shall be able to identify in concrete terms those areas of collaboration for the next phase and how to improve on what we have been doing’’.
On his part, the Chairperson of EABC Board of Directors, Mr. Jim Kabeho said EABC is committed to providing a regional platform through which the business community can present their concerns to ensure a conducive business environment within the East African Community.
“I pledge our commitment and support to the EAC Secretariat towards making our region conducive for investments and doing business at large’’
The two parties discussed key areas of collaboration including; EAC - Private Sector Development Strategy and Development of the new version; Priorities areas for joint implementation and synergy during the financial year 2017/2018 and 2018/2019; Joint resource mobilization for the next financial year as well as setting up joint EAC Private Sector Fund.
At the end of the EAC-EABC consultative meeting, the Secretary General addressed the Press accompanied by the EABC Board Members and EAC official.
Also present at the meeting were the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, and Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat, Alhaj Rashid Kibowa.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
