East Africa
OVERVIEW
USAID/East Africa, located in Nairobi, Kenya, assists the region through innovative activities that are designed to diminish the risk of conflict, foster economic growth, support political stability, and mitigate poverty. This program complements and enhances USAID's bilateral programs, while supporting unique and innovative regional activities. Priorities are to promote economic growth by expanding regional cooperation and reducing barriers to trade in regional and global markets, to strengthen regional health systems to better address the impact of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and to improve African capacity to prevent, mitigate, and respond to conflict. USAID's regional programs also support Presidential Initiatives and Agency priorities such as the African Global Competitiveness Initiative, the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Initiative to End Hunger in Africa, the Africa Education Initiative, and other initiatives intended to curb corruption and build public-private alliances.
PROGRAMS
PEACE AND SECURITY
USAID/East Africa's activities focus on the pressing problems of fragility in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions. USAID works systematically through regional, national, and local partners to address distinctly different external factors that lead to conflict in resource-rich (Great Lakes) and resource-poor (Horn of Africa) cross-border environments and corruption-prone corridors. Special focus is placed on frontier zones and other areas that are under threat from militant and violent extremism. USAID provides technical assistance, training, and community infrastructure that accelerate peace processes, promote reconciliation, or mitigate points of cross-border tensions. Activities also address major regional sources of fragility, including extremism, poor governance, and weak territorial integrity, through innovative local peace-building initiatives.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH
Because urgent health problems such as avian influenza and HIV/AIDS do not respect borders, USAID's regional health and HIV/AIDS activities assist in tackling challenges that bilateral programs alone cannot. USAID is a regional leader in health and HIV/AIDS programming. For the foreseeable future, the HIV/AIDS pandemic will continue to have a major and devastating impact on development-across all sectors-throughout this region. USAID/East Africa has contributed to worldwide efforts to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS by developing an innovative, multi-sectoral approach to reduce the cross-border impact of the pandemic. This approach directly supports the achievement of the goals and objectives articulated in President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Other health activities include improving health and nutrition among mothers, newborns, and children, and combating avian influenza and other health threats.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
USAID/East Africa's activities are aimed at stimulating economic growth in Africa through increased agricultural production, facilitating trade, and improving economic policies and governance. Strengthening the capacity of African regional organizations such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Southern Africa has increased trade and export of agricultural commodities to regional and international markets. Technical assistance and training provided through the East Africa Global Competitiveness Hub-which supports the President's African Global Competitiveness Initiative-have helped African entrepreneurs expand trade links with the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Businesses receive training in marketing and product improvement and receive assistance to travel to U.S. and international trade shows. USAID/East Africa also supports the President's Initiative to End Hunger in Africa, which increases food availability through greater agricultural productivity, better market links, and improved crop varieties.
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