Project Case Study
Strengthening capacity for regional integration in Kenya
Supporting regional integration in the run up to the creation of the East African Common Market
The Kenyan Ministry of East African Community Affairs (MEAC) is designed to promote regional integration and support the aims of the East African Community, to improve the quality of life of people in the region through better trade, investment and competitiveness.
Over a twelve month period from May 2009, we supported MEAC in building the institutional capacity to engage on regional trade negotiations, carry out a functional review and establish a new organisational structure. Our advisers, embedded in the Ministry, also helped it develop a monitoring and evaluation system to track key East African Community decisions.
The new organisational structure and the M&E systems have been adopted as models for similar ministries in the other East African Community countries.
Based on our work, 53 technical positions have been created to strengthen the capacity within the middle levels of the MEAC to engage effectively on economic, legal, IT and finance-related issues. We facilitated the finalisation of strategic plans within four key ministries that have a direct responsibility for implementing and monitoring East African Community decisions about regional integration. Extensive training has been provided within these ministries on the tool.
Our team also developed an East African transport efficiency index, which is a tool to monitor barriers to the transit of goods and services to internal and external markets.
We worked with MEAC to build internal systems and processes for managing fiduciary risk that arise out of weak financial management and procurement regimes. In addition to reviewing current organisational processes and staff capacities, our advisers have developed operational manuals and provided training to staff within the ministry.
Finally, they mapped the decision-making processes on trade policy issues and recommended ways to improve the efficiency of inter-ministerial sub-committees and high level taskforces assigned to generate consensus on key regional integration issues.
“With Adam Smith International's support, we have made tremendous progress in terms of strengthening MEAC's capacity to coordinate Kenya's regional integration process over the last year. The Adam Smith International advisers worked extremely hard alongside my staff to deliver transformational change within the Ministry.”
The late David Nalo, Permanent Secretary, MEAC
