Addis Ababa, June 14, 2019: The Eastern Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) has been launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Three East African countries will participate in the project including Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The project supports the development of highly specialized Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs as well as industry-recognised short term certificate level training, and will target regional priority sectors in transport, energy, manufacturing and ICT. EASTRIP will be financed by the World Bank as an IDA loan of $210 million and a grant of $83 million. $8 million of the grant will go to The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) to facilitate and coordinate the project and implement regional initiatives that would promote the mobility of students and faculty within and beyond the region and to establish a community of practice of TVET in the region.
…Agenda includes tabling of EAC Budget speech for next financial year
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, June 14, 2019: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) resumes its sitting in Arusha, Tanzania, on Monday, June 17th, 2019, for the sixth meeting of its second session.
Topping the agenda of the Assembly to be presided over by Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga Karoli Martin, is the tabling of the EAC Budget speech for the Financial Year 2018/19, the anticipated debate and enactment of a key piece of legislation and possible adoption of several reports.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 12th June, 2019: The 3rd East African Bicycle Tour (Tour d’EAC 2019) themed “Integrate or Perish” is set for 1st August to 20th September 2019, with over 100 cyclists taking on an epic route of over 4,300 km around East Africa over a course of 50 days.
According to the Team Leader and Director of Campfire Logs Guild of Uganda, the lead organizer of the Bicycle Tour, Mr. John Bosco Balongo, the 3rd East African Bicycle Tour will be flagged off on 1st August 2019 at the Independence Monument in Kampala, Uganda by the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Dr. A. M. Kirunda Kivejinja.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 12th June, 2019: A two-day training and sensitisation workshop for private sector and civil society on the opportunities and benefits of regional integration was held on 4th to 5th June, 2019, in Juba, the Republic of South Sudan (RSS).
The training and sensitisation workshop was jointly organized by the South Sudan’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and EAC Affairs; the EAC Secretariat; and the GIZ-EAC Programme, within the framework of the approved EAC Consultative Dialogue Framework (CDF).
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 12th June, 2019: The 5th Meeting of the ad hoc EAC Competition Authority (EACA) concluded on Friday 7th June, 2019 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with the swearing in of Dr. John K. Mduma, as a Commissioner of the EAC Competition Authority from the United Republic of Tanzania. The swearing in ceremony was conducted by the Counsel to the Community, Dr. Anthony Kafumbe, while the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Secrecy was administered by the Registrar of the East African Court of Justice, Mr. Yufnalis N. Okubo.
Addressing the Commissioners on behalf of the Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, the Counsel to the Community, Dr. Kafumbe commended the Commissioners for their commitment to the EAC competition agenda and noted that their work was very critical in regulating mergers and acquisitions, and handling issues of market dominance and protection of consumer welfare in the Community.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania 11th June, 2019: The Field Simulation Exercise (FSX) organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the World Health Organization(WHO) through the “Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region” (PanPrep) has started at Namanga border between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The main objective of the four-day exercise is to assess coordination mechanisms, command and control systems and information sharing channels between multiple sectors and countries; (e.g. activation of the EAC emergency structure, incident management systems and relevant emergency operations centre.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania 8th June, 2019: The 15th EAC Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports Concluded on Friday 7th June 2019 at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 5-day meeting was convened to consider matters related to Education and Training; Culture and Sports; the East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC); the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA); and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO).
Chairing the meeting, Mr. Samuel Mulindwa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Republic of Rwanda pointed out the important role of Education, Science and Technology and Innovation in the development of the East African Region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania 8th June, 2019: The 15th EAC Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports Concluded on Friday 7th June 2019 at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 5-day meeting was convened to consider matters related to Education and Training; Culture and Sports; the East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC); the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA); and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO).
Chairing the meeting, Mr. Samuel Mulindwa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Republic of Rwanda pointed out the important role of Education, Science and Technology and Innovation in the development of the East African Region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 7th June 2019: The Ministerial Session of the 14th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Energy was today called off due to lack of quorum at the EAC Headquarters.
The Rules of Procedure for the Council of Ministers provide that quorum of the meeting of the Council is all Partner States’ representation. The representation at the Ministerial Session of the Council requires a Minister or Ministers designated by that Partner State.
The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), which was launched on 10th June 2015, aims to establish a single market for 27 African countries with a combined population of about 700 million people (57% of Africa’s population), and Gross Domestic Product above USD 1.4 trillion.
The TFTA is built on three pillars (market integration, infrastructure development and industrial development) and there is a parallel agreement on movement of business persons. The Tripartite approach reflects the desire to advance regional integration from multiple fronts. As such, the TFTA would facilitate development of regional infrastructure for cross-border trade and lead to harmonisation of trade regimes amongst Tripartite Member/Partner States, stimulate industrial development through creation of value chains and facilitate movement of business persons.
As part of the market integration pillar, Member/Partner States have been engaged in bilateral tariff liberalisation negotiations. The market access negotiations between the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), consisting of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa, and the East African Community (EAC), which consists of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda have largely been successfully concluded.
The conclusion of the SACU-EAC negotiations marks a significant step towards realising the benefits of the TFTA. The main aim of the SACU-EAC market access negotiations has always been to provide commercially meaningful market access for the private sector in the two regions.
The SACU-EAC private sector will thus have access to new and dynamic markets for exports as well as new sources of inputs for domestic production processes, thereby enhancing intra-regional trade.
Furthermore, there is emphasis on the development of regional value chains in a wide range of sectors, to deepen integration between SACU and the EAC.
The conclusion of the negotiations provides an opportunity for the TFTA to be a building block and to have a coordinated approach for negotiations in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
-ENDS-
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.
