“As an engineer from Tanzania, I would like to work freely in Kenya, Uganda, or any of the other EAC Partner States. I know regional integration can make that dream come true.” Emma-Alice Kizito is a final-year student of Aeronautical Engineering and a software developer in Arusha, Tanzania.
Emma-Alice is a beneficiary of an EAC-GIZ Design Thinking Camp, which was conducted in 2023 in Arusha. The initiative provided her with the opportunity to meet and build networks with other young professionals from across the EAC. During this innovative event, she actively contributed to conceptualising a Digital Data Exchange Mechanism for the EAC, which aims to facilitate the cross-border mobility of professional engineers.
Professionals in the EAC face significant challenges in cross-border mobility due to the absence of a data-sharing mechanism among the partner states. This lack inhibits the seamless sharing of academic and professional qualifications and experiences gained in one Partner State with another. EAC, with the support of GIZ, endeavours to overcome this challenge by introducing a regional Digital Data Exchange Mechanism. Emma-Alice perceives that once this mechanism is operational, it will contribute to the success of EAC integration by enabling citizens to move and work freely in any EAC Partner State.
Germany is supporting the EAC to advance the mobility of regulated professionals, such as engineers, in the region.
Find more information on facilitating the cross-border mobility of professionals in the EAC here.