ARUSHA (Tanzania), Feb 24 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — THE East African Community (EAC) and Germany’s KfW Development Bank have signed four agreements worth 46 million euros (about 124bn/-) to advance key regional infrastructure, improve healthcare systems, foster regional cooperation and mitigate the effects of climate change.
This is part of the regional’s continued efforts to build strategic partnerships to enhance its capacity for sustainable development and address regional challenges.
According to information posted on the EAC Secretariat, this collaboration also aims to expand transport routes for better connectivity and increase educational opportunities across the region.
In partnership with the European Union, KfW is supporting the EAC’s Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) to promote the sustainable and coordinated use of the Lake’s resources.
Comprehensive management of the Lake Victoria catchment area will ensure the availability of more and higher-quality water.
Significant investments are being made in wastewater treatment infrastructure, which will improve the overall quality of the lake’s water.
Two contracts, worth 30 million euros (about 81bn/- ), have been signed for the “Lake Victoria Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Programme.” These investments focus on expanding sewerage systems in Kampala (Uganda) and Mwanza (Tanzania) and constructing sanitary facilities and a sewerage system in Kisumu (Kenya), particularly for informal settlements. In the health sector, KfW is supporting the EAC’s efforts to combat infectious diseases.
Through a collaboration with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, the laboratory network across seven EAC countries is being expanded, with additional training for laboratory personnel.
Funded with 12 million euros (about 32.4bn/-), this initiative aims to enhance rapid diagnostics during disease outbreaks, including Ebola, dengue, Covid-19 and more recently, the Marburg virus and Mpox.
The “EAC Regional Laboratory Network” project, now in its third phase, focuses on improving diagnostic capacities, including genomic surveillance, at both national and regional levels.
Notably, the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is being established as a regional centre of excellence for the EAC, promoting greater collaboration between human and veterinary health sectors under the One Health Approach.
The EAC scholarship programme, inspired by the European Erasmus programme, supports talented Master’s students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds pursuing studies in STEM subjects or economics.
This initiative not only broadens students’ horizons but also fosters greater social integration across the EAC countries.
In its first phase, 180 students from eleven universities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda benefitted from the programme.
The second phase, with an additional 4 million euros in funding, will extend the opportunity to students from Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), further enhancing regional mobility and academic collaboration. — NNN-DAILYNEWS
