The World Bank has earmarked about $15 million to accelerate regional digital integration efforts across the East African Community (EAC), the EAC said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement was released at the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha. The East African Community said the World Bank through its Single Digital Market initiative aims at supporting the region to become a more deeply cohesive and dynamic digital investment, innovation, and growth hub.
The EAC member states are the Democratic Republic of the Congo,Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The statement added that the project will emphasise the connectivity market development and integration, which involves creating an enabling legal, regulatory, and information and communications technology institutional environment to boost digitalisation in the region.
The statement said the project scope was deliberated on in a meeting held at the World Bank headquarters.
The regional bloc is looking at establishing regional digital innovation hubs across member states to respond to digital challenges, EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki said.
“This support will further enhance the region’s competitiveness and skills development that are central to successful digital transformation,” Mathuki added.