EAC gets $9m from donors

The East Africa community has received US$ 9m for several development projects and programmes for the financial year 2009/2010. The grant was approved Tuesday, by the steering committee meeting of the EAC partnership fund in the presence of EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu and Permanent Secretaries of EAC ministries of the five partner states. Of the amount approved, there has been a confirmed disbursement of over $5.6 million, according to already signed agreements. Mwapachu appreciated the support from the donors and was particularly grateful that disbursements have increased over the years. He described this as a clear manifestation of the growing support and recognition of the EAC by the development partners. “We are seized by the enormous support to the EAC integration agenda by our friends”. Indeed in their eyes, as well as that of the WTO (World Trade Organization), EAC is regarded as the role model of integration movement in the sub-Saharan Africa”. The partnership fund was established in 2006 by the EAC and six development partners who include the European Union (EU), the World Bank, Finland, France, Germany and Norway. The outgoing Chair of the Steering Committee, Tromsdal Kjersti, reiterated that increasing support to the EAC by ‘almost 300% within three consecutive financial years was a testimony of the recognition and huge interest the development partners had on the EAC integration’. She said the basic aim of the support was to build capacity of the EAC organs and institutions, as well as enhancing the regional integration agenda. The Permanent Secretaries urged the development partners to consider supporting the development and implementation of a comprehensive information and communication strategy for the ministries of EAC to enable them reach out to the grassroots in the partner states. They added that for a sustainable integration process, there must be popular support and participation of the general population who they said must be well informed and educated on matters of the integration agenda. Ends

National

EAC gets $9m from donors