EAC and Organisational Development & Outreach
The regional integration process is in full swing as reflected by the encouraging progress of the East African Customs Union, the establishment of the Common Market and the implementation of the East African Monetary Union Protocol. Furthermore, the integration process has widened substantially with the admission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2022 and the Federal Republic of Somalia in 2023. This fast pace of EAC integration necessitates constant development of EAC at an organisational level to steer the integrational process effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, clear and tangible communication on the benefits and impacts of regional integration for citizens is a key task of the EAC Secretariat.
Organisational Development & Outreach
EAC-Germany Support
Organisational Development
Organisational development is process that helps organisations develop their capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness by developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes. As one of the fastest growing regional economic blocs in the world, there is a constant demand for the EAC to evolve as an organisation to be well-equipped to steer the integration process as guided by the 6th EAC Development Strategy. Projects:
SEAMPEC II (GIZ)
Objective: Strengthening organisational capacities of the EAC Secretariat to implement the 6th Development Strategy.
Approach: On the level of organisational development, SEAMPEC II strengthens the capacities of the EAC Secretariat to implement the 6th EAC Development Strategy which focuses on increasing value-addition, industrial development, innovation and investment.
Measures include:
- Strategy development in cooperation with the SG’s office aimed at enhancing implementation of EAC policies and strategies.
- Capacity development to equip staff of EAC with the knowledge and skills to push regional integration forward.
- Support to onboarding of new EAC staff to enhance their capacities to fully execute their functions in driving the regional integration process.
- Support to EAC project monitoring to enable effective coordination of activities.
Find more information on SEAMPEC II here.
Enhanced Outreach on Integration Benefits
As regional integration is a complex process, communication on the same needs to be tangible and easy to understand to create awareness on successes and benefits of regional integration among the public. Hence, one of the core strategic development objectives of the 6th EAC Development Strategy is increasing visibility of EAC stakeholder knowledge and awareness, and participation of EAC citizens in the integration process. Projects:
SEAMPEC II (GIZ)
Objective: Enhancing EAC’s communication of integration impacts making the integration process more tangible for East Africans.
Approach: Measures are focused on assisting the EAC to ensure high-quality communication of benefits of EAC integration to regional and international stakeholders.
Key activities include but are not limited to:
- Development of an overarching strategic outreach framework for the EAC Secretariat
- Support via P&R Expertise to create strategic messaging based on current developments.
- Capacity Development for journalists to enable well-informed reporting on regional integration.
- Annual regional Editor’s Forum for high-level exchange between regional media and EAC to create strategic partnerships on awareness raising of East African citizens on benefits of regional integration.
- Outreach missions in collaboration with regional media to create success stories on regional integration.
- Creation of impact stories, including audio-visual products.
- Working with youth as multipliers for communication of integrational impacts.
- Capacity development on communication for EAC staff.
Find more information on SEAMPEC II here.