GERMANY CONTRIBUTES 24 MILLION EURO TO EAC SUPPORT MEDIA RELATIONS AND WATER SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

PRESS RELEASE

GERMANY CONTRIBUTES 24 MILLION EUROS TO EAC TO SUPPORT MEDIA RELATIONS AND WATER SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 11 December 2013: The Federal Republic of Germany today announced a new commitment to the East African Community (EAC) in order to support higher education and training for future journalists and media professionals.

Germany makes available a financial contribution of 14 million Euros in support of the Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) of the Aga Khan University, a recently established Centre of Excellence for media education in East Africa.

The education and training programmes of the GSMC will have a strong regional focus and will foster a diverse array of media leaders, enterprises and institutions that will be distinguished by high standards of competence, ethics, professionalism and social responsibility. The GSMC will closely cooperate with the Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA), which is the media development division of Germany’s well known international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).

Furthermore, the Federal Republic of Germany announced a new commitment to the East African Community in the water and sanitation sector. The EAC and Germany believe that coordinated trans boundary investment approaches are needed to cope with the growing demand for safe water, to fight increasing pollution of water systems and to deal with climate-related challenges.

In this regard, Germany committed a first tranche of 10 million Euros to the ‘Trans boundary Water Supply and Sanitation Programme’ in order to contribute to improved water and sanitation infrastructure in selected EAC border towns. The programme will be implemented with the Lake Victoria Basin Organisation (LVBC) of the EAC as Project Executing Agency.

The commitments were announced by a high-ranking German delegation, led by Ralf-Matthias Mohs, Head of Division East Africa, Federal Ministry for Development Cooperation, including Hans Koeppel, Chargé d´Affaires at the German Embassy Dar es salaam, Lena Thiede, Head of Cooperation EAC at the German Embassy Dar es salaam, as well as Burkhard Hinz, Regional Manager West and East Africa, KfW Development Bank.

Speaking at the ceremony Secretary General of East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera said today’s  signing  demonstrates the strong partnership between the EAC and the Federal Republic of Germany. He applauded Germany for its commitment and consistent support  towards EAC Project and Programes. 

Amb Sezibera affirmed EAC’s readiness to continue close cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany.

Hans Koeppel, Chargé d´Affaires at the German Embassy in Tanzania, said: “The new commitments underline that Germany continues to be a strong partner for the EAC, contributing to an integration process that puts the people in the centre”.

Since as early as 1998, Germany’s development cooperation, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), contributes to the capacity development of the Secretariat of the EAC and the regional integration in East Africa through a variety of programmes and projects. Germany’s funding for Technical and Financial Cooperation with the EAC amounts to a total of 125.9 million Euros. Germany also provides substantial support for the water and governance sectors in selected EAC member states.