The East African Community (EAC), in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU), has launched the EAC4Nature Project an ambitious three-year initiative aimed at enhancing sustainable natural resource management across the region.
With a total funding of € 8 million, €5.5 million from BMZ and € 2.5 million from the EU, the project titled “Support to Management of Nature-Based Solutions with the East African Community”, will run from January 2025 to June 2028.
During the launch of the project, Eng. Richard Gatete, the Executive Director of the EAC KASOA Institute, who represented the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), emphasized that the initiative aims to strengthen regional cooperation by integrating nature-based solutions into the EAC climate policy and strategy. He highlighted the importance of ensuring that these approaches are both gender-sensitive and inclusive.
Gatete noted that the EAC region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, citing rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. He stressed the need to embrace innovative and sustainable solutions that work with nature rather than against it.
“Nature-based solutions offer a promising pathway to address these complex environmental and climate challenges. By harnessing the power of ecosystems, we can enhance climate resilience, restore degraded landscapes, and secure the livelihoods of our people,” he said.
He further explained that the EAC4Nature project provides a collaborative framework for implementing nature-based solutions across the region, with a focus on the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika basins, as well as other priority transboundary landscapes. “This project is not just about conservation; it’s about integrating nature-based solutions into our regional policy frameworks and practices to ensure sustainable natural resource management and climate resilience,” he added.
Gatete underscored that the project’s success depends on the active participation and collaboration of all stakeholders, including the EAC Secretariat, partner states, development partners, and local communities. He expressed appreciation to the partners funding the initiative.
Alicia Van Den Boom, the Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Uganda, reiterated that the project’s objective is to promote collaboration, monitoring, and capacity-building to support sustainable solutions across the region. She emphasized the importance of strong partnerships, stating that effective implementation requires cooperation among governments, civil society, private sector actors, and international organizations.
“Through GIZ, we will support capacity development, policy integration, and investment in nature-based solutions to create lasting change,” she said.
Alicia further explained that nature-based solutions are central to the project’s approach, as they focus on working with nature to build climate resilience and ensure sustainable livelihoods.
“I’m delighted that this important project is not only supported by Germany but also by the European Union. This, again, shows you how regional integration works in other areas of the world. We’ve got a boost for nature-based solutions now also at Lake Tanganyika, thanks to the European Union. This launch is just the beginning,” she added.
Jean Baptiste Havugimana, the Director of Productive Sectors at EAC, highlighted the challenge of extreme weather events, including floods and droughts, in the region. He observed that many people react with surprise to these occurrences, which, he noted, is part of the problem.
He urged the EAC community to shift its focus toward mitigation efforts and proactive planning.
“We have to ensure that we come up with strong mitigation measures for every extreme weather event that may occur. If it happens, these measures should help us minimize the impact. We must also ensure quality adaptation strategies so that when such events take place, we are prepared to repair the damage and support affected communities in adapting,” he said.
