The East African Community Secretary-General and also the Chairperson of the IRCC, Dr Richard Sezibera has called on all regional groupings in Africa to come up with best ways to harness support to assist Member States effectively implement regional commitments at national level.
Addressing a consultative meeting of the Eastern and Southern Africa – Indian Ocean (ESA-IO) regional organisations (COMESA, EAC, IGAD, IOC) and their Member States, in Nairobi on 23 August 2012, Dr Sezibera said there is also need to establish an approach regarding the 11th EDF in terms of regional programming in the ESA-IO region building on the lessons learnt through the two EDF cycles.
“During the 9th and 10th EDF we have learnt to operate together under the IRCC platform, and in the future we need to better articulate the regional and national linkages,” Dr Sezibera said.
Dr Sezibera said that the implementation of the global principles arising from the Busan High Level Forum IV on aid and development effectiveness using a critical mass of a platform, should systematically leverage and blend grant monies such as from the European Union Development Funds, with other sources like the new co-operating partners, and public and private sector financial institutions in order to secure financing for regional infrastructure in complementarities with national initiatives.
This will make up our agenda and will constitute a basis for our common roadmap into the future of harnessing donor funding, not only from the EU but all our partners,” Dr Sezibera said. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary-general of COMESA, Mr Sindiso Ngwenya.