The East African Community (EAC) and Norway have signed a financial grant agreement worth 30million Norwegian Krone (approximately US $5.3 million) for the period 2012 to 2014.
The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera and Norway’s Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania with an accreditation to the Community, Her Excellency Ms. Ingunn Klepsvik, signed on behalf of EAC and Norway respectively. The signing was done on November 30, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The funds, disbursed through the EAC’s basket fund mechanism known as the Partnership Fund, will support initiatives to enhance regional integration and socio-economic development of the EAC. Specifically, the funds will be used to support the implementation of the EAC Development Strategy and provide technical assistance to the Community.
Furthermore, the grant will support institutional and human resource capacity building for the EAC and support key studies required to support regional integration as well as implementation of the study findings.
According to the agreement, an initial disbursement of 10million Norwegian Krone (approximately US $1.8 million) will now be made by Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Norway is one of the founding members and a contributor to the EAC Partnership Fund. Currently the EAC community is made up of five countries- Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya. However new applicants like Somalia and Southern Sudan have also expressed interest in joining the community.
