EABC-GIZ Sign Phase II Partnership to Boost East African Private Sector

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The East African Business
Council (EABC) has announced its partnership with the GIZ 'Support to
East African Integration Programme for Phase II of the project titled "Enhancing
Effective Private Sector Participation in the EAC and AfCFTA Integration
Processes."

The official grant agreement for Phase II, valued at €250,000, was signed by Mr.
John Bosco Kalisa, Executive Director of EABC, and Mr. Björn Richter, GIZ-EAC
Cluster Coordinator. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Ms Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, EAC Deputy Secretary-General for Customs Trade and
Monetary Affairs, who pledged EAC Secretariat collaboration to support the
implementation of the Phase II project. 

She lauded the Phase II project for focusing
on harnessing the opportunities under AfCFTA, emphasizing that the growth and
resilience of the EAC bloc results from unified policies, with the private sector
playing a fundamental advocacy role.

The new EABC-GIZ partnership builds on the remarkable achievements of Phase
I promise to enable the private sector, including MSMEs, to learn how to trade
under the EAC and AfCFTA markets, which serve a population of 300 million and
1.3 billion, respectively.

Some of the key achievements of EABC-GIZ phase 1 include the development of a team of AfCFTA private sector master trainers on
AfCFTA's Protocol on Trade in Goods.
 
The project also Improved the knowledge of private stakeholders from the manufacturing,
agriculture, and SME sectors on AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods following national sensitization workshops.

SME representatives from across the EAC region were able to develop a two-year roadmap to enhance SME participation in EAC and AfCFTA Agreements.

EABC-GIZ Phase II partnership will facilitate I Capacity Building, Focus on Trade in Services, and launch the 2nd Edition of EABC Barometer on Trade in Services and Export Readiness Workshops for SMEs and Youth Entrepreneurs.

Phase 2 will also facilitate the Publishing EABC Policy Advocacy Agenda 2023/24 and allow the EABC-EAC Technical Working Group Meeting to review progress in resolving private sector issues.

The EABC-GIZ partnership is a significant step toward fostering deeper private
sector engagement in East African integration and AfCFTA processes, heralding a
brighter economic future for the entire region.

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