Germany announces to make available 70 million euros (approx. 78 million USD) for development cooperation with the EAC

30 million Euros (approx. 33,4 million USD) in the health sector committed today

Today, the Federal Republic of Germany announced a new commitment to the East African Community (EAC). In total, 30 million euros will be invested in vaccines and health supply chain management.

Earlier in 2015, Germany hosted the record replenishment of the global vaccination alliance GAVI. As a result, an additional 300 million children will receive live-saving vaccines, including in the EAC. German bilateral cooperation will now provide 20 million euros for the procurement of vaccines against different diseases for children in the EAC. The programme will be implemented in collaboration with GAVI. This new commitment will bring Germany`s contribution to regional immunisations programmes with the EAC to 60 million euro since 2012.

Inappropriate cooling systems result in high volumes of vaccines being wasted before they reach the people that need them. This is why Germany will also support the establishment of the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Health Supply Chain Management in Kigali with 10 million euros. The Centre will strengthen capacities and foster the dissemination of innovation for managing complex supply systems for health products, such as vaccines that need to be kept cool at all times.

With a view to strengthen the pandemic preparedness in the EAC Mrs. Grosse Wiesmann also announced the willingness of Germany to provide an additional 3 million euros (3,3 million USD) in technical assistance for the region`s crisis response capacity (out of special funds for 2016).

EAC Deputy Secretary General Dr. Enos Bukuku: “Germany’s expanded support allows us to further reduce the spread of infectious diseases and improve the accessibility of health products throughout the region.”

Mrs. Gudrun Grosse Wiesmann, Director Sub-Saharan Africa at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development: “Our support underlines that Germany wishes to further strengthen the long-standing and deep relationship it maintains with the East African Community in order to contribute to the well-being and prosperity of its citizens”.

Regarding the upcoming bilateral negotiations on development cooperation with the EAC in September 2015 the Head of the German delegation underlined that Germany is willing to support the EAC in the fields of regional economic integration, health and water resource management. Germany is prepared to make available an additional 37 million euros for projects in these fields.