EAC SECRETARIAT RECEIVES A BOOST OF EUROS 2.9 MILLION

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania; 11 September 2013: The EAC Partnership fund today received confirmation of contribution of EURO 2.9 million to support varoius activities geared towards accelareting the EAC regional integration agenda.

H.E.Koenraad Adam, Ambassador of Belgium in the United Republic of Tanzania confirmed his Government’s contribution of EURO 900,000 to the EAC Partnership Fund in a meeting held today in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with Mr. Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Finance and Administration.

At the same time, Ambassador of Finland to the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Sinikka Antila also confirmed her country’s support of EURO 2,000,000 to the EAC regional projects and programmes.

While receiving the confirmations, the Deputy Secretary General Mr. Nsengiyumva underscored the importance of the EAC Partnership Fund and noted that the boost would would support few priorities, which will yield more and tangible results to impact on the lives of the East African people. He made a commitment that EAC Secretariat will continue strengthening the financial management of the Partnership Fund to ensure more accountability. He emphasized EAC’s preference for budget support as opposed to projects approach because this gives EAC flexibility.

The Deputy Secretary General, who was accompanied by the Head of Resource Mobilization Unit at the EAC Secretariat, Dr James Njagu, noted that the Fund had in the past supported core priorities towards integration mainly negotiation and implementation of the Common Market Protocol, sensitization and awareness programmes, key studies and capacity building of the EAC Secretariat.

On their part, the Ambassadors reiterated their governments’ continued commitments to the EAC integration agenda noting that EAC is one of the high performing and result oriented regional economic community in the continent.