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12th Edition of the EAC Military Games underway in Nairobi, Kenya

East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th August, 2019: The 12th Edition of the East African Community Military Games and Cultural Event is currently underway at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi, Kenya.

The event which runs from 11th to 26th August, 2019 has drawn 500 sportsmen and sportswomen from the Defence Forces in all the six EAC Partner States, namely: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

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Germany commits Euros 35 million to EAC for Immunization Programme

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 2nd August, 2019: The Federal Republic of Germany has committed Euro 35 million to East African Community to be invested in vaccination programmes in the Partner States.

Speaking at the EAC headquarters,  Senior Policy Officer from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms Claudia Imwolde-Krämer said Germany is contributing Euro 35 million to immunization programmes in the EAC. “I appreciate and acknowledge the EAC’s efforts to immunize every child in the region”.

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ICT4Business Brings Together Rwandese Industry and CENIT@EA to Shape the Digital Transformation

The Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technology in East Africa (CENIT@EA) organized the event ICT4Business on 18 July in Kigali, Rwanda. Around 40 participants from the private and public sector discussed their needs and requirements for digitalisation and how CENIT@EA can provide relevant skills, capacities and know-how to the private and public sector to enable them to reap benefits from the digital transformation.

In his opening remarks, Mr Karera, Chairman of the East African Business Council (EABC), emphasized the need for the industry to digitalise and use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their business processes. The Principal Information Technology Officer of the East African Community (EAC), Mr Murenzi, pointed out that digital transformation is a priority of the EAC’s 5th Development Strategy. The Senior Systems Officer of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), Mr Ruhinda, added that CENIT@EA is a very important regional initiative providing skills and know-how for the success of the digital transformation. Ms Focken, Cluster Coordinator for EAC, pointed out in her opening remarks that a continuous exchange between industry and academia is crucial for developing needed skills and support the use of technology and innovation in East Africa.

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Student Exchange Programme afoot as EAC marks 20th Anniversary

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25th July, 2019: The Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA), an institution of the East African Community (EAC), is currently running an advert for the nascent EAC Scholarship Programme.

The advert is basically inviting applications for Master’s degree scholarships tenable at universities in four EAC Partner States, namely Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The advert, which runs from 5th July to 1st August, 2019, was first published in the 6th – 12th July edition of the weekly The East African newspaper. It is also available on the IUCEA website: https://iucea.org/

The number of available scholarships under the programme are 157 under six thematic areas, namely: Mathematics; Engineering; Informatics; Science; Technology, and; Business Science.

The EAC Scholarship Programme is the product of a financing agreement of €5 million signed between the EAC and the Federal Republic of Germany on 9th April, 2018. The scholarship programme is being implemented in cooperation with IUCEA and KfW, the German Development Bank.

The goal of the programme is to promote the integration agenda in East Africa by supporting higher education students. Scholarship beneficiaries will undoubtedly foster awareness about the integration, and spur social change and economic growth.

The programme is designed to support EAC students with academic talent and leadership qualities. In addition to the provision of scholarships, the EAC scholars will be actively facilitated through programme activities such as regional leadership seminars and mentoring schemes.

It is further anticipated that the beneficiaries of the scholarship programme will become highly skilled ‘change agents’ for their home communities as qualified professionals with a strong understanding of regional challenges, approaches and expertise in their subject fields.

The EAC region has a long history of cooperation in education particularly between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which are the founders of the Community. The EAC is cognizant of the fact that most of its aspirations can only be achieved through high quality and relevant education and training.

Under Article 103(a) of the EAC Treaty, Partner States undertook to promote cooperation in the development of science and technology, which are viewed as the prime movers of regional integration and development. The Community’s objective then is to develop a completely harmonized East African education system for the enhancement of a productive human resource base.

Inherent in a harmonized education system are: the establishment of a common reference to facilitate comparability, compatibility, equation and mutual recognition of education/training systems and qualifications among Partner States. There is also the shared view among Partner States on quality, criteria, standards and learning outcomes; promoting mobility of students and labour to foster integration, and; promotion of the region as a Common Higher Education Area.

The harmonization of education systems and curricula dates way back to the first Community. The EAC had a single examination system and same curricula. The University of East Africa (UEA) had its main campus in Makerere, Kampala, Uganda with affiliate colleges in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. In the early1970s, UEA split into three independent universities: the University of Dar es Salaam, Makerere University in Uganda, and the University of Nairobi.

The EAC acknowledges that youth traditionally bring energy, drive and passion to any activity they embark on, and the integration process in East Africa is no exception. Added to this is the Community’s view that the youth will be the major beneficiaries of an integrated East Africa which is expected to bring with it various benefits which include, among other things, harmonized fees in institutions of higher learning, increased employment opportunities, better infrastructure, increased trade and investment, and socio-cultural integration. Some of the youth are already reaping these benefits of the integration.

The EA Scholarship Programme is modelled on the Erasmus Programme (EURopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) –an EU student exchange programme that was established in 1987.

Erasmus scholars study at least three months or undertake an internship of at least two months to an academic year in another European country. The programme has an in-built guarantee credit transfer scheme as long as the scholars abide by the terms previously set. A key component of the programme is that students do not pay extra tuition fees to the university that they visit. Scholars are also eligible to apply for an Erasmus grant to cover additional expenses occasioned by studying abroad.

For many EU students, Erasmus is their first time to live and study and abroad in another country. Erasmus has then become a cultural phenomenon and is highly popular among many students in Europe. The programme fosters learning and understanding of the host country.

The EAC on its part is convinced that the scholarship programme will help nurture a pan-East African identity among the youth. A year abroad will enable students to visit EAC Partner States other than the ones in which they were born and demystify any suspicions and mistrusts that could be inherent among citizens of one’s country vis-à-vis other countries. It will be a perfect opportunity for exposure of the youth to various peoples and cultures in East Africa.

As the EAC commemorates its 20th anniversary, it anticipates that the student exchange initiative engendered by the scholarship programme will foster regional integration by giving students a chance to live and learn in Partner States other than their own.

Going forward, the Community’s dream is that support for the scholarship programme will expand to include funding from philanthropists, Partner States’ governments, corporates and charitable foundations.

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 six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. 

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001:2008 Certified

EAC Secretariat urges Partner States to increase risk and crisis communication measures to keep out Ebola Viral Disease

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 22 July 2019:  The confirmation of a fatal Ebola case in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) further increases the risk for the East African Community (EAC) region of the outbreak crossing the borders. The Ituri province is only 70 km from the South Sudanese border and even closer to the Ugandan border. The first three cases of Ebola in the EAC region were diagnosed in Uganda in June 2019 and triggered strong response measures by the Ugandan government. Trade is vibrant between DRC and the EAC region and can exacerbate the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) due to the high mobility of people and goods. In the light of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern declared by the World Health Organization,) Dr Michael Katende, acting Head of Health at the EAC Secretariat urges the Partner States to strongly engage the communities in the border regions and traders and trade associations in risk and crisis communication measures. “This is particularly important, as most of the border line is porous and difficult to control” says Katende, “informal and formal traders need to know the risk and be able to take informed decisions to minimise it and to actively take precautions.”

EAC Partner States have put in place precautionary measures to stop the spread of EVD into the EAC region. This includes vaccinating frontline health workers, screening all travellers at points of entry including airports and training the first responders in case of an outbreak. However, these measures might not be sufficient. Dr Michael Katende, acting Head of Health at the EAC Secretariat was especially concerned about EVD spreading into South Sudan with its still rather weak health system.

The EAC Secretariat calls upon the Partner States to increase risk and crisis communication by involving community, religious and other leaders and the media in public awareness raising. At the same time, the Secretariat calls upon traders and trade associations and those travelling across the border with DRC to take extra precaution, as the EVD threat is real:

  • All people crossing the border should cooperate with immigration, health and security officials who are conducting screening at the points of entry and should strictly follow their advice.
  • Frontline health workers and members of the affected communities should accept to be vaccinated against EVD for their own protection and to help prevent the further spread of EVD.
  • People in the affected regions should avoid unnecessary ‘body to body’ contact as this is the main way of disease transmission.
  • The public should be vigilant and immediately inform the nearest health workers when spot a person with signs of EVD which are: fever, severe headache, body weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained haemorrhage (bleeding or bruising) from various body outlets like the nose, ears and mouth. This is particularly important along the “green border” where no screening measures are in place.

-ENDS-

Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/17-07-2019-ebola-outbreak-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-declared-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern

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 six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. 

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001:2008 Certifie

EAC Chiefs of Prisons/Correctional Services meet in Kampala

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th July, 2019: The Chiefs of Prisons/Correctional services of the EAC Partner States held an Extra-Ordinary Meeting in Kampala,Uganda from 11th to 12th July 2019. The meeting was convened to validate and adopt a Capacity Building Training Needs Assessment on Human Rights within the Prisons/Correctional Services of the EAC Partner States. 

The meeting, chaired by the Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service, Mr. Andrew Rwigamba, was attended by the Commissioner General of the Kenya Prisons Service, Mr. Wycliffe Ogallo, the Commissioner General Uganda Prisons Service Dr Johnson Byabashayija, while the Commissioner General of Prisons United Republic of Tanzania was represented by DCP John Masunga, the Director General Burundi Penitentiary Service by Mr. Aloys Habonimana and the Director General South Sudan Prisons Service by Maj Gen Longar Wol Dhel.

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Court grants interim order restraining the Inter-University Council for East Africa from recruiting Chief Research & Innovation Coordination Officer

East African Court of Justice Arusha, 5th July, 2019: The First Instance Division granted an interim order restraining the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) from pursuing the recruitment process in respect of the position of Chief Research and Innovation Coordination Officer, until the determination of the main Case (Reference No.13 of 2017).

The Court said that it was satisfied that the Application has been conceded by the Respondent (IUCEA) through her supporting affidavit in reply, having agreed to suspend and halt the recruitment process in issue, pending the determination of the case. The court therefore did not subscribe to Counsel to the Community (CTC), Dr Anthony Kafumbe’s contention during the hearing of the Application, arguing that the Application is moot. Hence court granted the order.

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Thirty Five (35) EAC Priority Infrastructure Projects Completed

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 4th July, 2019: A total of 35 out of 286 projects identified by the East African Community Heads of State as priority infrastructure  development projects have been completed and are now operational.

The EAC Heads of State Joint Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development held in Kampala, Uganda on 22nd February, 2018, approved a set of 286 priority infrastructure projects in various sectors for joint promotion and coordinated implementation by the Partner States.

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Court dismisses Burundi case challenging the election of the 4th EALA Speaker

East African Court of Justice Arusha 3rd July, 2019: The First Instance Division dismissed a case filed by the government of Burundi challenging the process of electing the Speaker of the 4th East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), which was carried out on 19th December. 2017 without the participation of Members of Parliament from the Republic of Burundi and the United Republic of Tanzania.

According to the Court, the case at hand gravitated around EALA’s compliance with the legal regime applicable to the election of Speaker thereof. The Court stated that the bone of contention between the parties was what (if any) was the quorum of the House for purposes of the election of a Speaker. It opined that such matter depicted a question of fact that must be established by cogent evidence.

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AU Partners with the EAC to promote Kiswahili as a Language of Wider Communication in Africa

East African Kiswahili Commission, Zanzibar, 3rd July, 2019: The African Union has partnered with the EAC to set the pace for the recognition and promotion of Kiswahili as a Language of Wider Communication in the whole of Africa. Under The Dar-es-Salaam Framework of Action adopted by the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), AU’s specialized institution mandated to develop and promote African Languages, and the East African Kiswahili Commission (Kamisheni ya Kiswahili Afrika Mashariki - KAKAMA), an EAC institution charged with harmonization, coordination and promotion of the development and use of Kiswahili for regional integration and sustainable development, the two organizations agreed and committed to work closely and with other organizations on the continent and beyond to achieve the set goal.

Addressing a Consultative Meeting on the Promotion of Kiswahili as a Language of Wider Communication in Africa held on 26th-28th June, 2019 in Dar-es-Salaam, the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Harrisson G. Mwakyembe, challenged participants drawn from across the continent to galvanize the spirit and energy of Pan-Africanism and the need for Africa and persons of African descent to be united.

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East African Community
EAC Close
Afrika Mashariki Road
P.O. Box 1096
Arusha
United Republic of Tanzania

Tel: +255 (0)27 216 2100
Fax: +255 (0)27 216 2190
Email: eac@eachq.org  |  sgoffice@eachq.org