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.
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 5th June, 2019: A five-day East African Community Sectoral Council Meeting on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports is currently ongoing at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 15th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports started with the Session of Senior Officials on 3rd June, 2019 and ends Wednesday, 5th June, 2019. The Coordination Committee or the Session of Permanent/Principal/Under Secretaries will be held on Thursday, 6th June, 2019, and the Ministerial Session on Friday, 7th June, 2019.
Kampala, May 22nd, 2019: The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), a Regional Facilitation Unit for the World Bank-supported Africa Centers of Excellence for East and Southern Africa Project (ACE II) has completed the process of selection of Incubation Centers to be hosted at four of the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACEs). Each Center will receive a financial award of US$ 250,000, a World Bank grant, as seed funds for the establishment of these regional Incubation Centers for East and Southern Africa. The ACEs selected to host the Incubation Centers are:
ACEESD – African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development, University of Rwanda
CREATES – Center for Research Advancement, Teaching Excellence and Sustainability in Food and Nutrition Security, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania
PHARMBIOTRAC – Center for Pharm-Bio Technology and Traditional Technology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
PTRE - Center of Excellence in Phytochemicals, Textile and Renewable Energy based at Moi University, Kenya
IUCEA received 15 proposals in response to a call that was issued in June 2018. The call invited any African Center of Excellence participating in the ACE II Project to submit proposals to host Incubation Centers through a co-financing arrangement in the four priority areas of the ACE II Project which include health, industry, agriculture, and education/applied statistics. The proposals were evaluated through a rigorous 3-step process by an international team of experts with extensive experience in business incubation, start-ups creation and successful commercialization of innovations and covered a diverse array of important topics -- such as energy for sustainable development, innovative drugs development, food and nutrition security, among others -- that are critical to the development of the region.
In the evaluation process priority was given to ACEs that already had good enough products that may require improvement, promotion for wider markets and potential for business incubation, i.e. the process of nurturing of early stage ventures to success. Another key criterion considered was the capacity to source additional sources of co-financing for the Center, to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the incubation center.
According to Dr. K. A. Appiah, a member of the Regional Steering Committee of the ACE II project who chaired the Independence Selection Panel, "the quality of the proposals that were submitted was quite high, and it was a difficult decision to have to select only 4 out of the 15 proposals submitted,” he said. He added, “We hope that more funding can be made available by host governments and other institutions to fund other incubation centers. Our international team of experts were very impressed and eager to work with the selected ACEs to ensure that the selected incubation centers are successful in commercializing research innovations towards job creation and economic growth."
The selection panel recommended that although the fifth selected institution, Center for Innovative Drugs Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) could not be funded, the proposal “was one of the best and needed to be considered as a non-funded Incubation Center.”
The IUCEA and the World Bank believe that such incubation centers will help build important linkages between academia and industry to help galvanize business growth in these priority areas that are critical to long-term growth and development of the region.
“The World Bank believes strongly in the innovation potential of African research, as a key lever in the continued economic development of the continent, and these incubations centers will serve as important hubs where the impact of research can be transformed to commercial opportunities. We hope these centers will be the first among many to follow,” said Dr. Roberta Malee Bassett, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank and Task Team Leader for ACE II Project.
The Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE II) Project supports the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in strengthening selected African Centers of Excellence (ACEs) to deliver quality post-graduate education and build collaborative research capacity in the priority areas of (i) Industry, (ii) Agriculture, (iii) Health, (iv) Education, and (v) Applied Statistics.
Kigali, November 12, 2018 - The Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE II) is holding its sixth Technical and Advisory meeting at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, from November 12th to 14th, 2018. The ACE II project is strengthening 24 competitively selected Africa Centers of Excellence (ACEs) to deliver quality, market relevant post graduate education, and building collaborative research capacity in five regional priority areas of industry, agriculture, health, education and applied statistics. Sixteen universities in eight countries are participating in the ACE II Project. The five year project is financed by the World Bank to a tune of $140 million in form of credit to the eight countries which include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Burundi, which does not host any ACE, is eligible to access services offered by the ACEs in other countries and regional capacity-building activities under the project.
The first phase, ACE I, was launched in 2013 in West and Central Africa with 22 ACEs and the second phase in Eastern and Southern Africa with 24 ACEs so as to create a collaborative movement across the continent to steer higher education towards science and technology. Combined, ACE I, ACE II and ACE III projects have a total investment of $600 million.
The Minister of Education, Republic of Rwanda, Hon. Dr. Eugene Mutimura expressed his passion for the ACE II project “because of the potential benefits and outcomes we expect this project to bring to the region.”
“It would be good to think about regional integration in terms of developing human capital resource required for our region as a bloc,” said Hon. Mutimura.
Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje, the Executive Secretary of Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit of ACE II, said that the main aim of countries joining the ACE II Project was to create a conducive environment for training highly skilled and competent scientists at Masters and PhD degree levels in identified key strategic areas.
Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje, the Executive Secretary of Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit of ACE II, said that the main aim of countries joining the ACE II Project was to create a conducive environment for training highly skilled and competent scientists at Masters and PhD degree levels in identified key strategic areas.
“Trained scientists are expected to help address the huge deficit of qualified human resources in higher learning institutions in the region and provide high level expertise to our industries, private sector and public sector,” he said. He added, “I am confident that ACEs will produce great scientific results out of their research activities.” He disclosed that IUCEA and the World Bank are in the process of establishing “Regional Incubators”. “The Centers that will host the Regional incubators will be selected competitively before end of the first quarter of the year 2019,” he said.
Dr. Sajitha Bashir, the Practice Manager, Education Global Practice at the World Bank said that the World Bank adopted a regional approach for higher education in 2014 to build capacity in Science and Technology. “The regional approach was adopted by the World Bank because we felt that to really create a critical mass of high quality scientists and to be able to do applied research of the kind of quality that is required, it would be difficult to do this country by country and a regional approach would be appropriate.” Dr. Bashir noted that it is important that Africa’s young population is equipped with skills.
“By 2040 our estimation shows that about 85% of the world’s young people will be in Sub Saharan Africa. It is important that a good proportion of these young people have high quality higher education and that there is a critical mass of highly qualified scientists and engineers and technologists who can adapt, assimilate and adopt technologies and also create new technologies to address the challenges of Africa,” she said. “I hope that this project and the other initiatives will make a contribution to equipping these young people and motivating them to contributing to Africa’s transformation.”
Rwanda, the host of the meeting, has four Centers of Excellence: the African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACEESD) and the African Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT) both hosted at the College of Science & Technology, the African Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS), College of Education and the African Centre of Excellence for Data Sciences (ACE-DS), College of Business & Economics. These four Centers will get a total of $20 million over five years to implement their projects.
As with the other ACEs, the funds will be used to develop new programs, expand enrollment, provide world class research facilities, build capacity among faculty and strengthen partnerships with leading regional and global institutions as well as the private sector. For example ACEESD has established a state of the art micro-grid research laboratory and a high performance energy computing unit. The Center will also work with the private sector for curriculum development, student internships and manufacturing of components for its micro grid systems.
Over the project’s duration of five years, the 24 ACEs are expected to enroll more than 3,500 graduate students in the regional development priority areas, out of which at least 700 would be PhD students and more than 1,000 would be female. By the end of the project in 2022 it is envisioned that the centers will have developed sufficient capacity to become sustainable regional hubs for training and research in their specialized fields.
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO),Kigali, Rwanda, October 12th, 2018: The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) held Regional Stakeholder Workshop on EAC Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Policy on 24th September 2018 at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi, Kenya.
The EAC Partner States have explicitly recognised the importance of Science Technology and Innovation (STI) for socio-economic development in the relevant provisions of Treaty establishing the Community. Science, technology and innovation is important for the enhancement of the socio-economic status of individuals and communities and is key to the establishment of the competitiveness of regional economies. It will be altogether impossible, to create wealth and improve the living standards of the people of this region without developing and applying science and technology and strengthening systems to harness innovation at the national level.
However, the implementation of national STI policies is at varying stages in the EAC Partner States. In some of the EAC partner states, the national STI policies are under a review process. Some of the key challenges hampering the development and implementation of effective STI policies in EAC Partner States are inadequate funds for the implementation of national STI policies, lack of up-to-date, reliable data and indicators on the current status of S&T, lack of indicators and support mechanisms for innovation. The National Institutions have focused on training, education, research and development of national STI policies, with less focus on innovation in the national STI policies. This has resulted in weak and non-direct linkages for science, technology and innovation to support societal needs and sustained economic growth.
The purpose of the meeting was to review and validate the draft policy for the East African Regional science, technology and innovation for sustainable regional development and socio-economic transformation.
The meeting output a validated draft EAC Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation and enriched with lessons and experience from STI Stakeholders, Partner States and partners; and effective support mechanisms identified and validated to enhance regional and national innovation systems for a sustained conducive environment in fostering S&T-led innovations.
The workshop gathered about 65 stakeholders’ representative from EAC Partner States including National Commission/Council for Science and Technology; Ministries responsible for Science, Technology and Innovation; National Departments responsible for Intellectual Property in EAC Partner States; Kenya Association of Professional Engineers; Universities/Academia; National Research Institutions; Private Business and Civil Society sector and Development Partners (UNESCO and UNECA).
The meeting was opened by Dr. Moses Rugutt, the Director General of National Council of Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Kenya, who appreciated EASTECO efforts to have the IP Policy developed for the region. He further informed the meeting that this policy will form the basis for the development of the individual National IP Policy. The opening remarks were given by Mrs Ngabirano Gertrude, the Executive Secretary, Dr. Alice Ochanda representative from UNESCO Nairobi, Kenya and Dr. Kasirim Nwuke representative from UNECA, Ethiopia.
The EAC IP Policy development process was participatory and included national level consultations in all EAC Partner States.
After the consultative process, the reviewed draft Regional Policies will be submitted to the EASTECO Governing Board for adoption before consideration and approval by the EAC Council of Ministers.
For more information please contact: The Executive Secretary, The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), 2nd Floor Telecom House, Kacyiru, KIGALI – RWANDA. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About EASTECO
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) was established as an institution of the EAC, with an overall objective of “promoting and coordinating the development, management and application of Science and Technology in Partner States” composed with the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda.
It is a semi-autonomous institution of the EAC established by the 5th Extra-ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held on 18th June 2007,in accordance with Chapter 16, Article 103 (a) of the Treaty on the Establishment of the East African Community, where the Partner States undertook to promote cooperation in the development of Science & Technology within the Community.
EASTECO Headquarters are in Kigali, Rwanda, 2nd Floor Telecom House, Kacyiru.
Inter-University Council for East Africa August 10, 2018: On May 4, 2018, the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit for the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE II) Project, announced a Call for Applications for Masters fellowships targeting female students in the nine participating countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique and Malawi.
The aim of the competitive scholarship is to enhance the participation of young African female scientists at postgraduate level, encourage regional student mobility and identify and cultivate future leaders in the region.
A total of 30 fellowships were available for the 2018/2019 academic year and another 30 will be announced next year. The selected students will study full time at any of the 24 ACEs in the priority disciplines of the ACE II Project, namely: (i) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or Industry, (ii) Agriculture, (iii) Health, (iv) Education and (v) Applied Statistics.
The Scholarship will cover cost for tuition, stipend, research, visa fees, laptop, books/stationeries and a round trip air ticket between the beneficiary’s home country and the study destination.
Names of candidates recommended for the award, areas of specialization and host institutions can be viewed on the list below. IUCEA shall contact all scholarship recipients through personal contacts submitted at the time of application.
“We congratulate the successful applicants and extend to them our best wishes for success in their studies. We have no doubt that when they return to their country of origin after completing their studies, they will play meaningful leadership roles at national and regional levels in identified priority science and technology areas for Africa,” said Prof. Goolam Mohamedbhai, the Chairperson of the Independent Selection Panel.
LIST OF STUDENTS AWARDED MSc. FELLOWSHIP UNDER THE ACE II PROJECT FOR 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR
COUNTRY
NAMES
PROGRAM
ACE
UNIVERSITY
Remarks
BURUNDI
INGABIRE BIENVENUE CARELLE
MSc. Agricultural Economics
CESAAM
Egerton University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
NDABASHINZE CHRISTELLA
Masters in Petroleum Engineering
CS-OGET
Eduardo Mondlane University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
IRAKOZE LAETITIA
MSc. Epidemiology
SACIDS
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ETHIOPIA
FETENE ELSHADAY
MSc. Energy Studies
PTRE
Moi University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
KALEL HENNA UMER
MSc. Public Health
ACEPHEM
University of Malawi
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
KIFLAY ELIZABETH
Master in Material Science and Engineering (Structural Materials)
WISE FUTURES
Nelson Mandela Africa Institute of Science and Technology
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ABDULKADIR BENAT EUSMAN
MSc. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
SACIDS
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
KENYA
NGEI VIRGINIA MUMBUA
MSc. In Biodiversity Conservation
CLIMATE SABC
Haramaya University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MAHINDA BETTY WANJIKU
MSc.in Climante Smart Agriculthre
CLIMATE SABC
Haramaya University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
SEREDE MARLINE MMBUKANE
Master in Data Science
ACE-DS
University of Rwanda
ABDULRAHMAN HALIMA
MSc in Internet of Things-Embedded Computing Systems
ACE IoT
University of Rwanda
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
NANCY EVANS KALEE
MSc. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
SACIDS
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
KUNDU MERCY NASIMIYU
Msc in Hydology and Climatic Studies
WISE FUTURES
Nelson Mandela Africa Institute of Science and Technology
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MALAWI
ALIDE THANDIWE
MSc. Analytical Chemistry
PTRE
Moi University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
RWANDA
INGABIRE MARIE ANGE
MSc. Railway Engineering (Civil Infrastructure)
ARERI
Addis Ababa University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ISHIMWE PASCASIE
MSc. Railway Engineering (Rolling Stock)
ARERI
Addis Ababa University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MUKANKUBANA JOHVANIE
MSc. In Biodiversity Conservation
CLIMATE SABC
Haramaya University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MUKESHIMANA LILIOSE
MSc. In Water Management - Hydrology and water resources track
ACEWM
Addis Ababa University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ODETTE MANIRAMBONA
MSc Railway Engineering Traction and Train Control
ARERI
Addis Ababa University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
UWASE MARIE LOUISE
MSc. Aquaculture
AQUAFISH
Lilongwe University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
INEZA MARIE AIMEE
MSc Railway Engineering Traction and Train Control
ARERI
Addis Ababa University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
TANZANIA
MOHAMED SWAUMU HASSAN
MSc. Agribusiness Management
CESAAM
Egerton University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MEELA ANGEL GABRIEL
MSc in Internet of Things- Wireless Intelligent Sensor Networking
ACE IoT
University of Rwanda
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MGENI ASYA SULEIMAN
MSc in Internet of Things- Wireless Intelligent Sensor Networking
ACE IoT
University of Rwanda
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
UGANDA
NASSAZI WINFRED
MSc Analytical Chemistry
PTRE
Moi University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ATUGONZA STELLA
MSc in Petroleum Engineering
CS-OGET
Eduardo Mondlane University
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
MPAGI EVA
Msc in Data Science
ACE-DS
University of Rwanda
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
ZAMBIA
MAMBWE JOSEPHINE
MSc in Aquaculture
AQUAFISH
Lilongwe University
MWALE FLATA
MSc. Global Health Implementation Programme
ACEPHEM
University of Malawi
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
KAONGA NAOMI
MSc. Microbiology
SACIDS
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Confirmed
(Prog. + Adm)
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For more information contact: Agnes Asiimwe Okoth Communication Officer Mob: +256-752-980079 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://ace2.iucea.org/
Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), Kampala, Uganda, 19th May 2018: Higher Education stakeholders will meet to discuss the transformative higher education leadership for enhanced linkage between academia, public and private sector during the 9th IUCEA Annual Meeting that will take place on 21st – 22nd June 2018 in Bujumbura, Burundi at Hotel Panoramique.
Under the theme “Transformative Higher Education Leadership for Enhanced Linkage Between Academia, Public and Private Sectors”, Vice-Chancellors and Principals of member universities; representatives from Ministries responsible for higher education; and private sector from each Partner State will have an opportunity to discuss all aspects of industrialization. The discussions will look into the potential role of Higher Education institutions in the process through the partnership with the public and private sectors, both in terms of sharing of experience, knowledge and technology, enabling environment and adequacy of enabling environment for effective functioning of the partnerships. Other participants are the EAC Secretary General, the heads of commissions/councils for higher/university education, heads of national commissions/councils for science and technology, heads of EAC institutions and other higher education stakeholders.
The Annual Meeting will consist of two main parts: The Dialogue Session that will focus on the Theme of the Annual Meeting by discussing through keynote presentations on:
University leadership with notions on public sector and industry relations being shared,
Status of research in the EAC and role and prospects of the Higher Education sector contribution to enhancement of production and
Set-ups for Academia-Industry linkages, perspectives of both the academia and industry.
The second part will give an opportunity to higher education stakeholders and member universities to be briefed about the activities coordinated by IUCEA during 2017/2018, achievements made and challenges encountered.
Notes to the Editor:
Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), as a strategic institution of the East African Community (EAC) responsible for coordinating development of higher education and research in the region, has played a key role in coordinating various processes which include, among others: the Regional Quality Assurance System with its operational tools such the The Road Map to Quality: A Handbook for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in five volumes; Principles and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and benchmarks for academic programmes. Other documents include the East African Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (EAQFHE), which is both a human resources development tool and a platform for rationalization and mutual recognition of qualifications under the EAC Common Higher Education Area. IUCEA is steering a number of initiatives on the development of centres of excellence in various fields and levels, which will serve as hubs for the development of highly skilled human resources for the region. Mobility and networking of both academic staff and students, an important avenue for brain circulation as well as research and innovation information sharing facility are currently on top of IUCEA’s agenda to respond to various needs of our region. These developments reveal a unique and pivotal role the higher education plays in promoting enhanced socio-economic conditions for an integrated East African Community. The Annual Meeting is a platform for heads of higher education institutions to share among themselves and with Higher Education stakeholders, developments in higher education in the region and worldwide, in order to maintain and enhance the outputs and outcomes of their functions, reflective of competitiveness of the higher education sector in the East African Community. The 9th Annual Meeting has been organized in line with the provision in Section 7(1) of the IUCEA Act 2009, stating that “The Council shall meet at least once every year provided that one of such meetings shall be an Annual Meeting of the Council”.
ENDS
For more Information Contact: Wilhelmina Balyagati, Corporate and Public Relations Officer, Inter-University Council for East Africa Plot M833, Kigobe Road, Kyambogo, Kampala, P. O. Box 7110 Kampala, Uganda, Website: www.iucea.org Tel: 256 414 256251/2, Mob: +256 774165467 (Ug), Mob: +255 788 497339 (Tz)
About the Inter-University Council for East Africa:
The Inter-University Council for East Africa coordinates harmonisation of higher education and training systems in East Africa, facilitates their strategic development and promotes internationally comparable standards and systems.
For more information, please visit the IUCEA website.
19th May, 2018, Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village, Kigali, Republic of Rwanda:
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in collaboration with the East African Regional Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Engineering and e-Health at the University of Rwanda, the EAC Secretariat and Partner States convened the 2nd EAC Regional e-Health and Telemedicine Ministerial Conference and International Trade Exhibition at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village, Kigali, Rwanda on 17th May, 2018.
The Ministerial Conference considered the report and recommendations of the 2nd EAC Regional e-Health and Telemedicine Workshop that was held from 15th to 16th May, 2018 at the same venue.
The theme of the Conference was “harnessing science, technology and innovation to transform healthcare delivery and accelerate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in East Africa.”
The meeting was attended by the Rt. Hon. Dr. Ali H. Kirunda Kivejinja, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC Affairs, Uganda and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers; Hon. Sarah Achieng Opendi, Minister of State for Health, Uganda; Hon. Dr. Patrick Ndimubandi, the State Minister for Public and Primary Health, Rwanda. Kenya was represented by Hon. Dr. Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Health, and Hon. Ken Obura, Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of EAC and Northern Corridor Development. Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children was represented by Mr. Toritoi Ngosayon Bunto, the Acting High Commissioner of Tanzania in Rwanda. The Ministerial Conference brought together 120 participants from the EAC region and beyond.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Guest, Rt. Hon. Dr. Kivejinja, Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers underscored the “importance of the conference in bringing together public and private policymakers, technologists, academia, researchers, medical professionals, NGOs and development partners to discuss how technology can be used to enhance healthcare delivery, brainstorm on eHealth policies and regulations and showcase eHealth solutions.”
Hon. Kivejinja called for a “continuous cooperation of EAC Partner States in developing relevant policies and adopting new technologies to enhance healthcare delivery through the use of information technology and communications systems with ultimate goal of improving the standards of living and increasing life expectancy of East Africans.”
In their deliberations, the Ministers noted that the 2nd eHealth conference built on the 1st conference that was convened by the EAC Secretariat in Kigali, Rwanda in 2010, in collaboration with Partner States. The meeting recalled that the regional agenda to invest in e-Government, which incorporates e-Health, was approved by the 13th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State that was held in 2006. The Ministers further recalled that the 19th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held in Kampala, Uganda on 23rd February, 2018 approved nine health sector investment priorities for the period 2018 to 2028 and that one of the priority areas was Investment in e-Health and that most of the other eight priorities heavily incorporate aspects of e-Health.
The 2nd EAC Regional e-Health and Telemedicine Ministerial Conference:
a) urged the EAC Partner States that do not have a National e-Health Strategy develop it in line with the WHO - ITU National e-Health Strategy Toolkit by 2020;
b) directed EASTECO to conduct an EAC regional e-Health readiness assessment incorporating aspects of systems interoperability, costs and benefits of investing in e-Health by 30th December 2019 in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat, East African Health Research Commission, Partner States’ National Science and Technology Commissions/Councils and Partners;
c) directed EASTECO to promote incubation of local digital health solutions in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat and the Partner States’ Ministries and Agencies responsible for ICT, Science, Technology and Innovation and submit progress reports to relevant Sectoral Councils and the Council of Ministers every two years;
d) urged the Sectoral Council on Health to coordinate the development of regional policies, laws, regulations, guidelines, standards, on health facility/patient safety, data sharing, data security and privacy to facilitate e-health enabled in country and cross border patient referrals within the EAC Partner States by 30th June 2020
e) directed the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Engineering and eHealth to conduct a study in the application of eLearning systems for training Health Professional in the Region and IUCEA to develop a regional framework to enhance regional and south-south collaboration in capacity building for e-Health by Jan 2020;
f) directed EASTECO to take leadership in convening the EAC regional e-health and telemedicine workshops, ministerial conferences and international exhibitions every two years on a rotational basis among the Partner States in last week of October as part of the meetings of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for Health in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat, the EAHRC and the EAC Regional Center for Excellence for Biomedical Engineering and e-Health; and
g) approved hosting of the 3rd EAC regional e-health and telemedicine workshops, ministerial conferences and international exhibitions by the Republic of Uganda from 28th to 30th October 2020 as approved by the 16th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health.
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For more information, please contact:
Richard Irakoze Communication Assistant The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), 2nd Floor Telecom House, Kacyiru, Kigali, Rwanda Mobile: +250 783047164 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; C.C. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About EASTECO
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) was established as an institution of the EAC, with an overall objective of “promoting and coordinating the development, management and application of Science and Technology in Partner States” composed with the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda.
It is a semi-autonomous institution of the EAC established by the 5th Extra-ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held on 18th June 2007,in accordance with Chapter 16, Article 103 (a) of the Treaty on the Establishment of the East African Community, where the Partner States undertook to promote cooperation in the development of Science & Technology within the Community.
EASTECO Headquarters are in Kigali, Rwanda, 2nd Floor Telecom House, Kacyiru.
President Kenyatta commends IUCEA for the outstanding achievements in higher education and research systems
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 23rd March, 2018:
The 6th EAC Academia-Public-Private Partnership Forum (APPPF) and Exhibition 2018 concluded at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday 22nd March 2018, with a commendation by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta to the management of Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) for the outstanding achievements in the development of higher education and research systems that are responding to the regional social economic development needs, in particular transforming East Africa into a Common Higher Education Area.
The aim of the APPPF is to provide a point of connection between knowledge and human resources produced by the academia on the one hand, and on the other hand, the dissemination and utilization of such knowledge by the private and public sectors, for eventual diffusion into the productive, social and service sectors in the Community. The theme of the 6th APPPF and Exhibition 2018 was the East African Common Higher Education Area: Opportunities for Industrialisation through Academia-Public-Private Partnerships.
Addressing the official opening ceremony, President Uhuru Kenya said that it his conviction that once effectively operational, which IUCEA should work hard so that, the Common Higher Education Area will contribute significantly to the shaping of the landscape and impact of higher education of the East African Community.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was represented by Hon. Peter Munya, the Cabinet Secretary for East African Community and Northern Corridor Development, urged the participants to come up with concrete proposals for policy and decision makers on how the region can shape-up and refine its industrialisation strategies for maximum utilisation of abundant natural resources for the industrialisation of the bloc.
The Guest of honour challenged the participants to consider leveraging the region’s human resources and skills potentials to promote mobility of labour and services as provided for by the EAC Common Market Protocol, which calls for opening up education and training to the local environment and beyond through mobility by strengthening links with business and by developing education for enterprise.
“This should be one of the key milestones that the Common Higher Education Area and this partnership (Academia-Public-Private) should endeavour to achieve as building blocks for industrialisation of our region”, noted the President.
President Kenyatta urged the forum participants to consider innovative ways in which the Academia-Public-Private Partnership could be strengthened in order to increase productivity of public and private investments and services in higher education as a focus for a new investment paradigm in education and training; maintaining universities as a public responsibility; promoting and consolidating research as an integral part of higher education for impact enhancement to society; furthering mobility and the social dimension; making access to learning easier and accessible and making it easier to move from one part of the education system to another, across and between programs and system, and across borders; and rethinking the definition of skills for the knowledge society.
He commended the management of the Inter-University Council for East Africa for the outstanding achievements in the development of higher education and research systems that are responding to the regional social economic development needs, in particular transforming East Africa into a Common Higher Education Area.
“It is my conviction that once effectively operational, which IUCEA should work hard to that, the Common Higher Education Area will contribute significantly to the shaping of the landscape and impact of higher education of the East African Community”, affirmed H.E Uhuru Kenyatta.
At the Forum, Rt. Hon. Kirunda Kivejinje, the Chairperson, EAC Council of Ministers and Uganda’s 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for EAC Affairs, noted that given the difficulties of entering into highly-competitive global markets, and the lack of prospects for a significant upsurge of foreign investments in the manufacturing sector, the only realistic option for the development of EAC industry was to focus on both ‘recapturing domestic markets’ and simultaneously exploiting better, the potential of regional markets and the resources at hand within the public and private sectors of which research and innovation were critical prerequisites.
The Chairperson of the Council observed that historically, the EAC economies had continued to be dominated by agriculture as the core economic sector employing 90% of the region’s respective populations and accounting for 24% to 46% of gross domestic product (GDP). On the other hand, the contribution of manufacturing to the GDP in East Africa was estimated at 8.9%, which is considerably below the average target of about 25% that the EAC Partner States have set for themselves to achieve by 2032.
He said the industrial sector in the region had the potential to reverse this trend and transform significantly the EAC economies to create jobs and stimulate the development of other sectors, with research and innovation taking the centre stage.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Inter- University Council for East Africa, Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje disclosed that the Academia-Public-Private Partnership Forum had, in the short span of its existence, exhibited great potential for playing a critical and catalytic role in spurring socio-economic development in the Community through various interventions.
“The partnership is expected to exploit the available political commitment and enabling legal framework at the national and regional levels to drum-up and consolidate views of stakeholders, for the outcome of the Forum and Exhibitions to spearhead the implementation of the socio-economic developmental agenda of the Community for achieving the region’s short- and long-term goals”.
Resolutions and Way Forward of the 6th EAC APPPF and Exhibition 2018
IUCEA should strengthen the administrative arrangements for coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the process of transforming EAC into a Common Higher Education Area
IUCEA should create a system that can document best practices from the Centres of Excellence to facilitate sharing of knowledge to promote industrialization. IUCEA should also recommend more centres of excellence in other areas.
IUCEA should continue to facilitate networking among research institutions, academia and industry for best practice sharing, and building partnerships for collaborative R&D, technology and innovation within the region. In this regard, IUCEA should come up with a policy framework for university-industry collaboration.
IUCEA should support new VCs with training on leadership and management to enable them transform their universities.
Universities should Strengthen collaborations and networks amongst regional institutions including CoE to enhance capabilities for industrial policy design and management.
Universities should Institutionalize Research & Research Uptake to create an enabling platform for industrialization.
Universities should review their policies to require graduates to produce a research uptake component before they graduate.
Universities should build their relationships with industry on a gradual and structured way by involving the industry in curriculum development, its delivery as guest lecturers, joint supervision and internships.
Universities should fully embrace the use of ICT in teaching, research and administration. Available opportunities with German universities to set up virtual classrooms for collaborative teaching is worth considering.
Partner States should establish/increase national research and innovations fund to promote sustainability of externally funded projects.
Partner States should establish Regional Awards as a means to catalyse innovation and entrepreneurial efforts and support collaborative science technology and innovation initiatives.
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.
