The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

EAC has set ambitious goals for harmonising qualifications and facilitating the mobility of learners and workers across the region.

Pursuant to Article 5 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (on the Objectives of the Community) and particularly Article 102 (on education and the development of adequate human resource for science and technology), Partner States agree to harmonize their curricula, examinations, certification and accreditation of education systems and training curricula to facilitate operationalization of the Protocol for the Establishment of the East African Community Common Market, which came into effect on 1st July, 2010. The Protocol established two rights of residence and establishment in any Partner State as well as five freedoms of movement of natural persons, labour, capital, goods and services. Article 11.1 (a) on harmonization of qualifications was formulated in the Protocol to facilitate operationalization of free movement of services and labour for the purposes of the integrated market.

The 2023 EAC TVET Harmonization Strategy emphasises the development of regional frameworks, including the harmonisation of TVET qualifications and strengthening of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) in Partner States.

The 19th Sectoral Council on Education Science and Technology, and Culture and Sports directed the EAC Secretariat to mobilize resources to finalize the Regional TVET Qualifications Framework; the Guidelines for Harmonization of the TVET Curriculum Structures and Frameworks; a Framework for (a) TVET Coordination and (b) Students and Staff mobility and Framework for a platform for engagement with the Private Sector/ Industry submit them to the 20th SCESTCS for consideration. In this regard, Secretariat has embarked on the process of finalising the above frame works in line with the EAC TVET Strategy and align to current frameworks regionally.

The African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF), coordinated by the African Union and implemented with technical support from the European Training Foundation (ETF), provides tools, methodologies, and capacity-building opportunities for countries and regional bodies to develop and operationalise qualifications frameworks. The ACQF-II project (2023–2026) supports 55 African Union member states and regional organisations in advancing coherent, transparent, and trusted qualifications systems.

EAC and ACQF-II share a common interest in:

• Enhancing comparability and mutual recognition of qualifications.
• Building capacity for implementation of NQFs and regional frameworks.
• Advancing the level of operationalisation of the national and regional qualifications frameworks
• Facilitating mobility and employability in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the EAC integration agenda.

Objectives

This meeting will bring together the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF-II) project team, and representatives from EAC Partner States to:

• Share the EAC regional agenda for qualifications harmonisation and mutual recognition with the view of updating the draft qualifications framework.
• Exchange updates on national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) and TVET reforms in EAC Partner States, including their stage of development and plans for further operationalization.
• Review the current status of EAC-level frameworks such as Higher Education and RFTVET-EKT.
• Present the current status and tools of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) as well as the update of the ACQF-II project.
• Explore opportunities for collaboration and technical support from ACQF-II. Initiate a dialogue on joint priority activities, including peer learning, capacity building, and technical cooperation

See below the agenda of the event

• When: 21 August 2025, 10:00 – 13:00 East Africa Time
• Where: Online
• Languages: English and French
• Contact names: Dr. Dorcas Omukhulu domukhulu@eachq.org