EAC, Germany sign US$65m agreement for health, digital projects

The East African Community (EAC) and the German government announced a cooperation agreement worth US$65 million to support projects in the areas of health, digital skills, and water resources management. Within this agreement, the University of Rwanda will receive US$17 million to develop its expertise in the areas of digitalisation in health supply chain management, cold-chain management, and quality control, and drug safety. Additionally, the  Centre of Excellence for ICT in East Africa hosted by Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, Tanzania will receive another amount of US$6 million to promote digital skills and innovation among East Africans. The German Ambassador to Tanzania Ms Regine Hess underscored the German government’s commitment to providing an additional fund of up to US$6.6 million to improve pandemic preparedness and response in 2021.