EAC to benefit from USAID Regional Strategic Plan 2016-2022
Ms Candace Buzzard, the new Deputy Mission Director of Kenya and East Africa for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) paid a courtesy visit to EAC‘s Secretary-General, Amb. Dr Richard Sezibera at the EAC Headquarters. She was accompanied by Mr Matt Rees, Deputy for Trade Africa, Mr Donald Keene, Resident Legal Officer and Ms Cristina Olive, Office Director, Strategic Planning and Analysis.
In receiving the Deputy Mission Director, Dr Sezibera thanked USAID for its continued support and strong partnership. Reiterating on the importance of regional integration as a means to access regional markets and gain competition advantages in efficiency and productivity outputs, Dr Sezibera said, “these elements can only be realised by having no restrictions on the movement of goods, services, labour and capital within the East Africa“.
The visit constituted of a presentation of the draft USAID Regional Strategic Plan 2016-2022 to the Secretary-General, and dialogue on ways in which the two organisations can align their key priorities for the next five years.
USAID’s five-year strategic plan will focus on increased trade, investment and food security; health services and systems for marginalised and vulnerable populations; increased security of populations vulnerable to regional threats; and, strengthening East African institutions’ leadership and learning.
Ms Buzzard acknowledged the efforts that the Community has made for some of the region‘s most remote regions to access trade, adding that “this has not only promoted prosperity in those regions, but has also delivered better livelihoods to their communities, thus putting EAC in the forefront as a model for Integration“.