East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 24h July, 2020: The East African Community in partnership with Arusha City Council conducted a community service on 24th July 2020 at Maweni Primary and Mkonoo Secondary Schools in Terat Ward, Arusha, Tanzania.
The event earlier as part of the celebration of the International Women’s Day 2020 themed “#EachforEqual” could not take place in March due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The event featured the donation of sanitary pads to about 600 students and created awareness on menstrual hygiene and benefits as well as the opportunities of East African Community Integration.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 22nd July, 2020: The COVID-19 global pandemic has left economies crumbling worldwide and the East African Community (EAC) region has not been spared. On a positive note though, “the EAC Secretariat is doing all it takes to ensure that the EAC Partner States’ economies can quickly recover to normalcy” said Hon Christophe Bazivamo, the Deputy Secretary General Productive and Social Sectors at the EAC Secretariat.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th July, 2020: The new UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region, Ms. Clementine Awu Nkweta Salami, today paid a virtual courtesy call on the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo.
The overall purpose of the Courtesy call was to introduce the new Regional Director, UNHCR Nairobi, Kenya Office, to the EAC Secretariat and reinvigorate the existing relations between the EAC and the UNHCR in view of the emerging challenges of the refugees in the EAC region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th July, 2020: The 41st Extraordinary Meeting of the East African Community Council of Ministers is currently underway via videoconference.
Among the items on the agenda of the 41st Extraordinary Meeting of the Council are the Report of the of the Meeting of the Finance and Administration Committee held from 3rd to 10th March, 2020, including the Budget for the EAC for the Financial Year 2020/2021; and Human Resource matters including renewal of Staff contracts.
The Council of Ministers, which is established under Article 13 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC, is the policy making Organ of the Community.
The Council consists of: the Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs of each Partner State; any other Minister of the Partner States as each Partner State may determine, and; the Attorney General of each Partner State.
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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 Legislative Assembly, Arusha, July 6th2020:Committees of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), today elected respective Chairpersons to serve the 4th Assembly for the balance of its life (of two and a half years).
The elections which took place this afternoon via a virtual process, completes the transition of Members in to new Committees. The six Chairpersons elected today (and the new Committee Members who were elected last week), take their mandate on Saturday, August 1st, 2020, at the expiry of the current Committees (constituted on 30th, July 2018).
The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF) have approved grants totaling $9.52 million to strengthen responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in East Africa and the Horn, and in the Comoros.
The grant, approved on 26 June, is part of the $10 billion COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility (CRF) approved by the Board of Directors in April 2020 and complements the Bank’s direct support to regional member countries across the continent.
The beneficiaries are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Funding will also go toward the procurement of essential medical supplies, including testing kits and to train health workers.
The funds will be used to bolster health systems and disease surveillance, enhance infection prevention and control, and improve regional coordination by the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to contain cross-border transmissions.
“The overall objective of the operation is to reduce the incidence and mortality in the Eastern African region due to COVID-19 pandemic and other disease outbreaks,” Martha Phiri, Director for Human and Social Development said.
The EAC Secretariat will receive $8.79 million in tranches of $8.16 million and $629,582 while $729, 581 will go to IGAD. The World Health Organization will be the implementing agency for the emergency response activities in the EAC and IGAD member states, and the Comoros, while the RECs will be directly responsible for executing the cross-border interventions.
Countries in Eastern and the Horn of Africa are enforcing stringent border measures to mitigate the cross-border transmissions that have led to disruptions in the movement of people, trade flows and access to essential goods. The project will, therefore, tackle these challenges by improving testing and case detection capacity at border crossings and improving regional coordination. The Project will also support EAC and IGAD to roll out regional COVID-19 digital tracking systems to facilitate cross-border surveillance. This will make the regional bodies better prepared to counter cross-border transmissions during future pandemics.
The grants align with the Bank’s High 5 priority commitments, specifically to improving the quality of life for the people of Africa, and to advancing regional integration. The financing also strongly aligns with the Eastern Africa Regional Strategy Paper, which calls for enhanced cooperation in managing regional public goods.
As of 28 June, total confirmed cases in the 11 mainland countries of the region stood at 42,000, while the island nation of Comoros reported 265 cases out of a population of 800,000.
For more information contact:
Kwasi Kpodo, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, 1st July, 2020; The Eastern Africa National Networks of AIDS and Health Service Organizations (EANNASO) launched its East Africa Wananchi Digital Health Platform (AFYA) in an online event as travel and large gathering are still not possible in most EAC Partner States.
Afya is an online digital platform mapping health service centers along EAC borders. Residents and travelers can easily view on their mobile phones or laptops which health facilities offering the required essential services are within reach. The service starts by mapping the services along the border of Tanzania and Kenya, but will be extended to other EAC Partner States later.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, June 29th2020: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has today appointed Committee Members State) to serve the 4th Assembly for the balance of its life (of two and a half years). The appointments which took place this afternoon during the virtual sitting, are to ensure the six Committees of the House efficiently discharge their duties. The new Committee Members take over from the current serving ones on Saturday, August 1st, 2020 at the expiry of the current Committees (constituted on 30th, July 2018).
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, Tanzania: June 29th, 2020: The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Republic of Rwanda, Hon Vincent Biruta, this afternoon, virtually, took Oath of Allegiance as an Ex-Officio Member of the Assembly.
Hon Dr Biruta was sworn in to the House virtually before the Speaker and Members of EALA in line with the Rule 5 of the Rules and Procedures of the Assembly. The Rule 5(4) of the Rules of Procedure says in part that: “No Member can sit or participate in the proceedings of the House until the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance to the Treaty is taken”.
Hon Biruta was ushered in virtually (introduced by name) to the House by EALA Members, Hon Dr Pierre Celestin Rwigema in accordance with Rule 9 (2) on Administration of Oath or affirmation of the Rules of Procedure for Virtual Meetings and Sittings of the House.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, June 24th2020: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) yesterday elected twelve Commissioners (two per Partner State) to serve the 4th Assembly for the balance of its life (of two and a half years). The elections held yesterday afternoon during the virtual sitting, saw the return of four unopposed Commissioners who served in the previous Commission (whose tenure ended on Friday, June 19th, 2020).
The re-elected (unopposed) Members are Hon Dr Oburu Oginga and Hon Wanjiku Muhia (Republic of Kenya) and Hon Oda Gasinzigwa and Hon Dr Francois Xavier Kalinda (Republic of Rwanda). The United Republic of Tanzania’s new representatives to the Commission are Hon Dr Ngwaru Maghembe and Hon Josephine Lemoyaan. From Burundi, Hon Jean Marie Muhirwa and Hon Mo Mamo Karerwa are the new Commissioners. The new Commissioners from Burundi replace Hon Leontine Nzeyimana and Hon Chris Nduwayo.
