The East African Community (EAC) Partnership fund has received a contribution of EURO 2.9 million to support various activities especially those accelerating the EAC regional integration agenda.
The Belgian government contributed EURO 900,000 to the EAC Partnership while the government of Finland contributed 2 million EURO to the EAC regional projects and programmes.
While receiving the confirmations, the Deputy Secretary General Jean Claude Nsengiyumva underscored the importance of the EAC Partnership Fund and noted that the boost will be instrumental in supporting few priorities, which will yield tangible results to impact on the lives of the East African people.
Nsengiyumva 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 of both Finland and Belgium reiterated their governments’ continued commitment to the EAC integration agenda noting that EAC is one of the high performing and result oriented regional economic community in the continent.