02
Oct
Arusha — East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 1 October, 2015: The Federal Republic of Germany and the East African Community (EAC) have successfully concluded bilateral negotiations on development cooperation at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha,Tanzania.
The Federal Republic of Germany committed a total of 37 million euros in grants to the EAC for 2016-2018, highlighting the strong commitment to support the integration process in East Africa.
- 10 million euros in financial assistance will be invested in the establishment of a regional network of reference laboratories for communicable diseases. With this project, the German Government responds to a request for support from the EAC for the prevention and control of epidemic outbreaks in the region.
- ·Another 10 million euros in financial assistance will be used for Integrated Water Resource Management of Lake Victoria aiming at improving water provision and management of water resources.
- 17 million euros in technical assistance were committed to further support of the economic integration process, including a contribution to the EAC partnership fund. The programme is focussing on institutional strengthening of the EAC Secretariat and on supporting the implementation of the Customs Union, Common Market Protocols and Monetary Union. This includes the elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers such as tax harmonisation as well as Mutual Recognition Agreements for qualifications. At the same time Germany will support the EAC in promoting private investment especially in the pharmaceutical sector, including the establishment of a regional quality infrastructure for the pharmaceutical sector.
Speaking during the negotiations, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr. Liberat Mfumukeko, thanked the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for its support to the EAC spanning the years since the re-establishment of the Cooperation between the three founding EAC Partner States to the present, when the Community has expanded to include the republics of Rwanda and Burundi.
‘’We have truly benefited from the German support which has catalyzed other development Partners to support our projects and programmes. In addition, Germany has given the EAC a permanent home by financing the construction of the new Headquarters that today houses the Secretariat ,the Court and the Assembly under one roof thus greatly easing the EAC Organs interactions and communication’’, said Mr. Mfumukeko.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201510011165.html