The Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development brings together two events namely the 4th EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure Financing and Development and the 1st EAC Summit on Investment in Health and Health Sector Investors and Donors Round Table and International Exhibition. The Heads of State Retreat aims at accelerating the attainment of the objectives of the EAC Development Strategy, Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals in the infrastructure and health sectors.

 

The EAC Heads of State Retreats on infrastructure financing and development aims at supporting infrastructure development to facilitate regional integration and socio-economic development in the EAC. To date, three retreats have been held so far, in 2010, 2012 and 2014. During the 2nd Retreat, the Heads of State institutionalized the retreat on infrastructure development and financing to be held once every two years.

Through the Heads of State Retreat, several projects in transport, energy, communication and civil aviation have been identified for development at the regional level and resources mobilized for their implementation.

The Council endorsed the convening of the 4th Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure Financing and Development as part of the proceedings of the 19th Summit of the EAC Heads of State (EAC/CM35/Decision 49).

 

Background to the 1st EAC Heads of State Summit on Investment in Health and Health Sector Investors’ and Donors’ Round Table and International Exhibition

The 1st EAC Heads of State Summit on Investment in Health is a premier event of the EAC Heads of State on matters of health. Convening of the 1st Summit on Investment in Health was recommended in June 2016 by the 12th Sectoral Council on Health and subsequently adopted in April 2017 by the 35th Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers (EAC/CM 35/Decision 63).

The region, like other low and middle-income regions, is experiencing a concurrent triple burden of common infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis and maternal and child health complications; non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancers; and epidemic and pandemic diseases related to increasing globalization, trade and climate change.

Convening of the event is therefore in recognition of the fact that the EAC region is undergoing major public health transformations fueled by changing human-animal-environmental interactions, population dynamics and socio-economic development.

Background to the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development

The previous EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure Financing and Development provided high-level political push for investments in major infrastructure projects in the region. The EAC seeks to replicate this support for the health sector so as to advance the health and wellbeing of East Africans.

For practical/logistical and efficiency reasons the EAC Secretariat and Partner States have opted to combine the events through a “Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development” which is scheduled for 22nd February 2018. The joint retreat will be preceded by the separate infrastructure and health sector investors’ and donors’ roundtables on 21st February 2018. An infrastructure and health exhibition bringing together international and regional exhibitors has been organized for both 21st and 22nd February 2018.

The separate donor round tables will be held at ministerial level to generate refined outcome documents that will subsequently be presented to the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development.

 

Focus areas of the retreat under the infrastructure sector
The Joint Retreat is being convened at a time when the region’s ten (10) year infrastructure priorities that were agreed upon during the 3rd HOS Retreat held on 29th November, 2014 in Nairobi have transitioned from conception phase to the implementation phase. The joint retreat will among others review the status of implementation of the priority projects including relevant policy directives, mobilization of the required financing and implementation of the resolutions proposed to address the challenges observed at the 3rd Retreat.

The Retreat will be targeting key priority projects in railways, ports and inland waterways, energy and connecting roads prioritized to decongest the cities and enhance ports logistics. Likewise, as agreed during the 3rd Retreat, the 4th Retreat is expected to receive a report on the projects and programs of the civil aviation and airports sub sectors. Further, the Heads of State will consider the strategies being developed to engage with the private sector in the development of these projects, the enhanced collaboration with the development partners (in particular African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA); the World Bank, the EU, JICA and TMEA among others.

The Heads of State (HoS) will, therefore, be looking for concise documentation on progress on the implementation of the key flagship projects with clear recommendations to add pace to the development of regional infrastructure.

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Focus areas of the retreat under the health sector
Through this high-level event, the East African Community expects to build consensus on priority health infrastructure, systems, services and research investment with the highest potential to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage and the health related Sustainable Development Goals.

The Joint Retreat is being held at a time when the EAC Partner States are expanding the capacity for the delivery of high quality health services, training and research such as through the African Development Bank/Partner States’ financed regional centers of excellence (RCoE) for Kidney Diseases (Kenya); Heart Diseases (The United Republic of Tanzania); Cancer (Uganda); eHealth, Biomedical Engineering and Health Rehabilitation Sciences (Rwanda); and Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management (Rwanda). With support from the Federal Government of Germany (through the German Development Bank), the Partner States are also jointly operationalizing an EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases (including rapid deployment of state of the art mobile diagnostic medical laboratories) to strengthen the region’s capacity diagnose to respond to pathogens of biosafety level 3 and 4 nature and other outbreaks of infectious diseases, prone to cause cross-border epidemics.

Further, the retreat will provide policy guidance on EAC’s agenda to eliminate AIDS and preventable maternal and child deaths by 2030; advance medical tourism; strengthen pandemic preparedness and response; enhance local manufacturing of medicines and health products; and catalyze job creation through the health sector thereby ultimately expanding and consolidating health sector contribution to the socio-economic development of the region.

 

Under infrastructure, the Heads of State Retreat will be addressing itself to:

1. 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;

2. The 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 as well as improved movement of goods, services and persons;

3. Development of reliable and interconnected power grids to facilitate the necessary industrial development of the region through the availability of reliable and cost-effective power supply as a prerequisite for attracting investments and sustaining industries; and

4. The realisation of the necessary financing, legal frameworks, political underpinnings, and regional coordination capacities to fast track the priority infrastructure projects for the region.

Under the health sector, the Heads of State Retreat will be addressing itself to:

1. Building consensus on regional health sector investment priorities for the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals;

2. Showcasing the major health sector investments and opportunities in the Partner States;

3. Mobilizing investment in the health sector in identified priority areas; and

4. Revitalizing regional partnerships and linkages for improved health outcomes for the EAC Partner States

The Retreat is expected to be graced by the EAC Heads of State; Ministers, Permanent/Principal Secretaries and Senior Officials from government institutions and agencies; high-level guests from the international community including AU, Heads of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) from the COMESA, SADC, IGAD, International and sub-regional organizations. Also expected are multi-lateral and bi-lateral development partners, international financial institutions, corridor management agencies, local and international investors/private sector, Universities, and civil society and EAC Organs and Institutions. The retreat is expected to have about 700 participants including local and international exhibitors.

During the Retreat, Partner States will have an opportunity to showcase prioritized projects and engage with prospective investors for project uptakes. Therefore, the 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 and a projects implementation roadmap.