The East African Community (EAC) is a regional inter-governmental organization comprising the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda. The Community aims to
foster Regional Integration and socio-economic development among Partner States through development of policies and programmes to widen and deepen co-operation in political, economic, social and cultural fields including science,
technology and innovation.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community recognizes Science and Technology as a key driver for sustainable socio-economic development. The treaty explicitly provides for the Partner States to promote and support cooperation in
the development and application of science and technology within the Community, in Article 5, 12 and Article 103. In response to the provision of the Treaty, the EAC Summit of Heads of State established the East African Science and Technology
Commission, EASTECO, in 2007, as a semi-autonomous institution of the East African Community to promote and coordinate the development, management, and application of Science and Technology in the Partner States.The Protocol establishing EASTECO mandates the Commission as the main regional agency through which the EAC Partner States will develop and implement common Science and Technology policies, programs and projects, in priority areas that include
human resources development, collaborative research, technology development and innovation. These regional STI priorities are to enable and support the sustainable production of goods and services and enhance economic competitiveness in
accordance with the EAC Common Market Protocol of 2010 and the EAC Vision 2050.
The formulation of the regional space science and technology strategy is aimed at contributing to the objectives of EASTECO. The strategy is purposed to create, promote and integrated EAC outer space program for an innovative and competitive STI
sector for the wellbeing of our people.
The development of this East African Regional Space Science and Technology Strategy was stakeholders driven and was undertaken through a six-steps process.
This included documenting the status of space science and technology in the region, mapping of the key stakeholders involved in the East African space science and technology Ecosystem, field data collection, preparation of a draft strategy, regional
validation of the strategy and preparation of monitoring and evaluation, and a comprehensive strategy implementation plan.
