The $293 million five year project is currently being implemented in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia through 16 flagship training institutions.
This was announced here yesterday during the opening of the technical advisory meeting of the Eastern Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (Eastrip).
“We are in advanced stages of signing the MoU and we shall keep you updated,” said Prof. Gaspard Banyankibona, the executive secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA).
Once the MoU is signed, it will add nine more countries under the project to 12, and will include other East African Community (EAC) partner states.
“It means 12 countries in the eastern Africa region will upgrade their technical and vocational training education (TVET),” he pointed out.
According to Prof Banyankibona, the beneficiary of upgraded technical skills will be huge infrastructural projects under implementation.
These include, among others, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) being jointly undertaken by Tanzania and Uganda.
Another key project is the Lamu Port South Sudan and Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) being undertaken by Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki said training of the critical skilled people was one of the bloc’s aspirations to meet the current and future market demands.
“The move would also address the issue of unemployment,” he said, noting that skilled human resource was critical for the region’s development. Sectors that will benefit include infrastructure, industrialisation and manufacturing and value addition in agriculture.
Others are sustained management of natural resources hinging on value chain and beneficiation as well as management of human capital.
“These sectors will ensure that the economies of EAC remain competitive and continue to attract the required investments,” he said.
Dr Mathuki said increasing youth unemployment has created the need of teaching and learning “focussed on skills development”.
“Therefore TVET institutions are well positioned to lead this new approach to learning,” the EAC boss told the meeting largely attended by scholars from the region.
EASTRIP is a five-year project funded by the World Bank and the governments of Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya to increase access and improve quality of TVET programs offered by the selected Regional Flagship TVET Institutes.
Four of the colleges are in Tanzania and include; the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza campuses, the National Institute of Transport (NIT) and Arusha Technical College (ATC).
Share this news
This Year’s Most Read News Stories
Mbeto on Mwinyi: He created today’s affluent people
The CCM Secretary of Ideology and Publicity (Zanzibar), Mr Khamis Mbeto Khamis, said the late President Ali Hassan Mwinyi was the architect of the current class of affluent people.Continue Reading
Tanzania Declares Marburg Outbreak – Africa CDC Mobilizes Immediate Response
Addis Ababa, January 20, 2025</Strong> — Tanzania has declared a Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak after confirming one case and identifying 25 suspected cases in the Kagera Region of Northwestern Tanzania. The Marburg virus, a highly infectious and often fatal disease, is similar to Ebola and is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and monkeys. This outbreak marks the nation’s second encounter with the deadly virus, following the outbreak in Bukoba District of Kagera Region in March 2023, which resulted in nine cases and six deaths.
In response to this urgent threat, the Africa CDC is mobilizing strong support to help Tanzania contain the outbreak. A team of twelve public health experts will be deployed as part of an advance mission in the next 24 hours. The multidisciplinary team includes epidemiologists, risk communication, infection prevention and control (IPC), and laboratory experts to provide on-ground support for surveillance, IPC, diagnostics, and community engagement.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, has engaged with Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the Minister of Health to ensure coordinated efforts and secure political commitment for the response.
“Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. To support the government’s efforts, we are committing US$ 2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management. Building on Tanzania’s commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and those of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control,” Dr. Kaseya stated.
Africa CDC has recently supported efforts to enhance the diagnostic and sequencing capacity of public health laboratories in Tanzania. PCR Test kits and genomic sequencing reagents have been dispatched, with additional supplies in the pipeline. To ensure rapid identification and confirmation of cases, the institution will also provide technical assistance to strengthen detection and genome sequencing for better characterization of the pathogen. Additionally, support will be provided to improve case management protocols and enhance the capacity to deliver safe and effective treatment.
Africa CDC is committed to working closely with the Government of Tanzania, regional partners, international organizations, and global stakeholders, including the World Health Organization, to stop the spread of the Marburg virus.
Source: allafrica.com
Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’
Monrovia — The Rwanda Minister of State responsible for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, cautioned that while the country is beginning to see positive signals in its fight against the Marburg virus, the outbreak is “not yet over”. He, however, expressed hope that “we are headed in that direction”. The minister said the epidemiology trend, since the disease was first discovered in the country more than a month ago, is moving towards fewer cases.
Dr. Butera, who was giving updates during an online briefing yesterday, said in the past two weeks, only two deaths were recorded while 14 people recovered from the disease. He said Rwanda was expanding its testing capacity with 16,000 people already inoculated against the disease.
The priority right now, Butera said, is “rapid testing and detection”.
Marburg is a highly virulent disease transmitted through human-to-human contact or contact with an infected animal. The fatality rate of cases, which has varied over the period, is more than 50%, according to the World Health Organization. WHO said the highest number of new confirmed cases in Rwanda were reported in the first two weeks of the outbreak. There’s been a “sharp decline” in the last few weeks, with the country now tackling over 60 cases.
At Thursday’s briefing, a senior official of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, said mpox – the other infectious disease outbreak that countries in the region are fighting – was been reported in 19 countries, with Mauritius being the latest country to confirm a case. He said although no new cases have been recorded in recent weeks in several countries where outbreaks occurred previously – including Cameroon, South Africa, Guinea, and Gabon – Uganda confirmed its first Mpox death. This, he said, is one of two fatalities reported outside Central Africa.
Dr. Ngashi revealed that there was an increase in cases in Liberia and Uganda. He said mpox cases were still on an upward trend.
“The situation is not yet under control.”
Source: allafrica.com
