Kenya demands regional strategy review

Kenya wants a harmonised selection of development programmes at regional and national levels to ensure prudent utilisation of resources provided by external partners such as the EU.

Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta said lack of uniformity in the pursuit of such initiatives posed a risk of wastage of resources.

“We would like to urge you to undertake as soon as possible, a midterm review of the regional strategy paper as there have been significant developments that have taken place both within the region and globally may require a re-thinking of the strategy or the initial resource distribution within the strategy,” he said on Monday in Nairobi during the signing of financing agreements under the 10th tranche of the European Development Fund (EDF).

The EU’s funding for international co-operation with Africa has over the years mainly come through three geographically-based financing instruments including the EDF that caters for African nations under African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group.

Huge allocations through the EDF have particularly been channelled towards financing infrastructure projects in countries such as Kenya as a way to catalysing single and flawless market fabrics in the region.

Concerns have however emerged over the lack of synergy in the selection of programmes with experts demanding for better working arrangements at regional and national level to guarantee commonality in the type of programmes pursued.

“The link between national and regional policies remain fundamental. This is an increasingly urgent question to address and I think we all recognise that,” Mr Gary Quince, the director of EuropeAid Co-operation Office (Aidco) told participants at the forum in Nairobi.

A recent audit on the effectiveness of the EDF in the region also pointed out that the crowded field of organisations involved in the integration process also formed a major drawback.

They include the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (Igad) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

Overlapping membership

“These organisations show significant overlaps in geographical coverage and membership and in mandates and policy objectives,” the European Court of Auditors said in a report titled: Effectiveness of EDF Support For Regional Economic Integration in East Africa and West Africa.

All the EAC countries are members of Comesa except Tanzania that maintains dealings with Sadc, a position that has in the recent times posed a headache for the region because it is not technically possible to have membership of more than one customs union.