East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 12 September 2017:
The new Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Republic of Tanzania and the East African Community, H.E. Dr. Detlef Waechter, today presented his credentials to the EAC Secretary General at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Receiving the German Ambassador, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko hailed the strong relations between the Community and Germany noting that Germany had provided generous technical and financial support to the EAC for almost two decades.
Amb. Mfumukeko informed Dr. Waechter of the significant progress made by the EAC in the four pillars of integration namely the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation, adding that the Community had made great strides in the four pillars due to political goodwill by the leaders of the Partner States.
Amb. Mfumukeko said the EAC together with the Southern African Development Community(SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) were at an advanced stage in the negotiations for the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) which brings together 26 countries with a market of over 600 million people.
The Secretary General reaffirmed EAC’s commitment to exploit its human and natural resources for the benefit of the entire region, saying that already significant achievements had already been recorded in trade, customs and infrastructure development.
Noting that East Africa has a big population of educated but unemployed youth, Amb. Mfumukeko said that going forward the Community would focus on modernizing the agricultural sector through provision of agricultural inputs, value addition and technology.
In his remarks, Dr. Waechter assured the Secretary General of his country’s commitment to working closely with EAC to enable the Community attains its objectives in the integration process.
The Ambassador said Germany was keen to share with the EAC its experiences in the European integration, adding that the EAC could learn from the EU in addressing some of the emerging challenges in the integration process.
Also in attendance at the meeting were Ms. Norzin Grigoleit-Dagyab, First Secretary in charge of EAC Regional Cooperation at the German Embassy in Dar es Salaam; Mr. Bernd Multhaup and Ms. Kirsten Focken of GIZ Tanzania; Mr. Steven Mlote, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, and; Dr. Anthony Kafumbe, the Counsel to the Community.
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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; 16 June 2017:
The outgoing German Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania and the East African Community, H.E Egon Kochanke, on Thursday 15th June 2017, paid a courtesy farewell visit on the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. H.E Egon Kochanke will be returning to Germany in June 2017 after three years’ tour of duty.
Addressing the Secretary General, Amb. Kochanke, who was accompanied by Dr. Helmut Schon, the Director of KfW Office in Dar es Salaam and Bernd Multhaup, the outgoing Head of GiZ-EAC Integration Office in Arusha, said he was proud to be associated with the positive developments taking place in the regional integration agenda.
The outgoing Ambassador said he was happy to have witnessed the construction of the EAC Headquarters and its official opening by the EAC Heads of State in November 2012. The German government contributed fully to the construction of the USD18.8m office complex.
He said during his tenure, he had great interaction with the EAC Secretariat and the Executive staff that made his work easier. He said he was contented with the German contribution to the Health and Education sectors, which were very critical in the livelihood of the East African citizens.
Amb. Konchake said he was leaving the region when peace and security was improving in both Burundi and the Republic of South Sudan.
The Ambassador disclosed that the business community in Germany were now viewing the EAC as a huge market, “for example the German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) will soon set up production plant in Kenya as it looks to sell more vehicles across the entire East African region and beyond“.
On his part, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, who was accompanied by his Deputies in charge of Finance and Administration, Hon. Jesca Eriyo; in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo; and in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Stephen Mlote, congratulated his guest upon his successful tour of duty and for strengthening the relations between the EAC and Germany.
“You have been the champion of the EAC integration agenda and your personal support and involvement has been very encouraging to us”, asserted the Secretary General.
Amb. Mfumukeko informed his guest that the Secretariat will continue to stream its activities focusing on a few priorities which will produce results that impact on the lives of the East African citizens.
He said the Secretariat was currently assessing the performance of the 4th EAC Development Strategy as the basis for preparing the 5th Development Strategy.
The Secretary General commended the outgoing Ambassador for being behind some of the milestones in the EAC - Fedral Republic of Germany relations during his term in office.
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Notes to Editor:
During H.E Egon Kochanke’s term in office, the Federal Republic of Germany signed an Intergovernmental Agreement with the East African Community (EAC) to support regional health programmes.
In total, 30 million euros (USD 34 million) were to be invested in vaccines and health supply chain management. German Development Cooperation was also to provide 20 million euros for the procurement of vaccines against different diseases for children in the EAC. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with GAVI. The new commitment brought Germany`s contribution to regional immunisation programmes with the EAC to 60 million euros since 2012.
Germany also made available a grant of 10 million euros to support the establishment of the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Health Supply Chain Management.
The Federal Republic of Germany and the East African Community (EAC) also signed a Government Agreement of 7 million euros on Tuesday, December 6th 2016. The Secretary General of the East African Community Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko signed on behalf of the Community while His Excellency Egon Kochanke, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Republic of Tanzania and also accredited to the East African Community signed on behalf the Germany Government.
Out of the 7 million euros, 3 million euros (in technical assistance) was to be invested in strengthening the pandemic preparedness of the region. The project was to support the operationalization of the EAC Regional Contingency Plan and a Regional Risk and Crisis Communication Strategy.
The other 4 million euros (in technical assistance) was to be invested in an Academic Center for Digital Innovation. The project was to support the set-up of a State of the Art Master programme focusing on embedded and mobile systems at an East African University, supporting the development of a skilled labor force in East Africa.
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; 17 May 2017:
The European Union (EU) will continue to offer its assistance, to the best of its abilities, to the East African Community (EAC).
The Head of the EU Delegation to Tanzania and the EAC, Amb. Roeland Van de Geer, said that over the seven year period from 2014 to 2020, the EU and the EAC were addressing key challenges in East Africa by jointly implementing an ambitious development programme through the 85 million Euro 11th European Development Fund.
Amb. Van de Geer further said that, in addition, EU Member states were also making available considerable amounts in development support to the EAC.
“However important aid may be, trade and investment are crucial for a better future for all East Africans,” said the envoy.
Amb. Van de Geer said the EU would continue to partner with the EAC in development cooperation and the promotion of peace, security and democracy in the East African region.
He noted that the two blocs had witnessed increased cooperation over the past two decades, adding that the wide ranging cooperation would continue in the political, economic and developmental fields.
Amb. Van de Geer was addressing guests during a cocktail event to mark the Europe Day 2017 at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
He acknowledged that despite many years of unprecedented economic growth, Europe today suffers from serious economic difficulties.
“Difficult as the times may be, our Union, built on solidarity and on the strong commitment to peace and development, see these tough times as an opportunity for change, improvement and reform. Our collective European response is a new level of joint economic governance intended to speed up economic recovery, thus contributing to global improvement,” he said, adding that there was a silver lining to these challenges.
“Europe is not turning inwards; on the contrary, the current situation calls for well-coordinated and determined international action and narrow cooperation with our partners worldwide, in Asia, the Americas, Oceania and certainly also in Africa, the continent to which Europe feels so closely connected,” said Amb. Van de Geer.
In his remarks, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko said that the EU provides good lessons to the EAC on the integration journey.
Amb. Mfumukeko said the EAC was particularly keen to learn from the EU on how it had managed crises such as war, poverty and disease over the years.
The event was attended by EAC staff, the business community and members of the diplomatic community in Arusha.
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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; Nairobi, Kenya; 12 April 2017:
The East African Community (EAC) Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko met the Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan in the Republic of Kenya, Dr. Azim Lakhani on Tuesday 11th April, 2017, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting was a follow-up of the Secretary General’s visit to His Highness the Aga Khan on 11th November 2016, where the Secretary General and His Highness the Aga Khan explored the possibility of expanding the Aga Khan Integrated Health Systems across all the EAC Partner States, especially in secondary cities like Kisumu, Mombasa, Arusha, Mwanza, Entebbe, Jinja, Butare and Ngozi, among others.
Amb. Mfumukeko had also requested capacity building support from His Highness the Aga Khan to the East African Community through scholarship programmes to enhance capacity of staff in different projects and programmes.
The two officials discussed in detail the Financing Agreement signed recently between the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the French Co-operation Agency (AFD) for the expansion of hospitals in Kisumu and Mombasa worth USD28 Million. Another Financing Agreement to expand the Aga Khan hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, had already been signed and implementation is on-going.
In Investment Promotion Service (IPS), especially in the areas of Agro-processing by the Aga Khan, Dr. Lakhani informed the Secretary General that currently, AKDN had an Export Agro-processing industry to empower rural areas from production to export. This is already being implemented in Kenya with a programme of 7,000 farmers involved through Premier Food Inc (food processing); Frigoken (vegetable processing) and All fruit (fruits processing), amongst others.
The Secretary General urged AKDN to ensure similar programmes are replicated in other EAC Partner States. In this regard, it was agreed that an EAC Delegation would visit the AKDN Food Processing Plant in Ruiru and Murang’a in Kenya with a view to rolling it out to other Partner States.
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Notes to Editor:
The East African Community and Aga Khan Development Network have a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2012 specifying the areas of cooperation. The areas include the following, amongst others:
(i) Poverty reduction, employment creation and income generation programmes in selected regions of the EAC Partner States through stronger regional and local markets by investing in infrastructure, social and educational enterprises, media and communications, financial services, among others;
(ii) Enhancement of quality standards in the fields of education and health through public-private-partnerships and establishment of Centres of Excellence;
(iii) Promotion of the expansion of the Aga Khan University in East Africa through various campuses; and
(iiii) Creation and promotion of mechanisms for common accreditation in EAC for professional and institutions, especial in the domain of education and healthcare.
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; 14 February 2017:
The Canadian High Commissioner to the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Ian Myles, today presented accreditation letter to the East African Community Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko appointing him as his country’s representatives to the EAC bloc.
While receiving the Canadian envoy, Amb. Mfumukeko hailed the existing cordial relations between the EAC and Canada. The Secretary General welcomed support from the Canadian government geared towards enabling the Community to achieve its ambitious agenda.
The Secretary General briefed H.E. Myles on the current achievements in the pillars of the regional integration and development process. He said the Community had expanded tremendously within a short spell of time which has necessitated a review of its institutional set-up and work on a sustainable financing mechanism.
Amb. Mfumukeko and the Canadian envoy discussed several issues including the status of the EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the Inter-Burundi Dialogue. They also explored areas of collaboration in trade, investment and agro-processing.
The Secretary General also informed the High Commissioner on his priorities over the next four years which include: increasing investment for job creation, and; improving agriculture to ensure food security and job creation for the youth in East Africa.
On his part his, H.E. Myles told the Secretary General that his government attaches great importance to regional economic groupings such as the EAC. He commended the Secretariat for the role it is playing in promoting regional integration.
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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; 14 February 2017:
The United Kingdom will strengthen trade and investment links with the East African Community Partner States for mutual benefit.
UK High Commissioner to the United Republic of Tanzania and the EAC, Her Excellency Sarah Cooke, said that her country would remain an outward-focused trade-based economy with strong partnerships with other countries and regional economic blocs even in the wake of Brexit.
Ms. Cooke said the UK would create new partnerships with the EAC aimed at promoting private sector-led economic growth for employment creation and poverty reduction in the East African region.
The envoy disclosed that the UK was the biggest contributor to TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), adding that the funding to TMEA was being utilised to finance technical assistance to the EAC in sectors such as customs, trade, investment and video teleconferencing.
The High Commissioner made the remarks when she presented her credentials to the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania today.
Ms. Cooke hailed Amb. Mfumukeko for his efforts in strengthening efficiency and reforming public expenditure within the EAC.
In his remarks, Amb. Mfumukeko thanked the UK for its generous support to the EAC over the years singling out the TMEA funding which he said had resulted in numerous benefits to the Partner States especially in revenue collection and investment promotion.
Amb. Mfumukeko said his priorities over the next four years would be to: promote the free movement of persons and labour as enshrined in the EAC Common Market Protocol; increase investment for job creation, and; improve agriculture to ensure food security and create employment for the youth in East Africa.
Accompanying the High Commissioner to the function was Mr. Tim Lamont, Senior Growth, Trade and Investment Advisor (East Africa) at the Department for International Development Office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
TMEA is an East African not-for-profit company established in 2010 to support the growth of trade – both regional and international – in East Africa. TMEA is focused on ensuring that gains from trade result in tangible gains for East Africans.
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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.
The Italian Government has appointed Counsellor Roberto Mengoni as Italy’s Permanent Representative to the East African Community.
The Envoy (Roberto Mengoni), who is also the Italian Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, presented his letter of accreditation signed by the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Paolo Gentiloni, to the EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, today at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Welcoming Amb. Mengoni to the EAC Headquarters, the Secretary General commended the Italian Government and people for showing interest in furthering the existing cooperation between Italy and the Community.
Amb. Mfumukeko briefed the Envoy on the key millstones recorded in integration process and pledged to link up the envoy with the the East African Business Council through which Italian investors could explore available opportunities.
On his part, Amb. Mengoni commended the EAC Secretariat for spearheading the integration agenda and highlighted a few areas that the Italian Government was interested in supporting the EAC, especially the Renewable Energy sector. He disclosed that his government was pushing for a policy change on Africa that will see a more robust engagement with the continent and the EAC.
Amb. Mfumukekeko and his guest also discussed also the status of negotiations of the EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and the Inter-Burundi dialogue. With regard to the Inter-Burundi Dialogue, Amb. Mengoni hailed the efforts of the Facilitator, H.E. Benjamin Mkapa, and the EAC Secretariat in spearheading the process and called upon all the parties and stakeholders to give peace a chance in Burundi.
Also present at the ceremony was the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo.
