LEAC awarded EU and EAC grant for work in East Africa
The Leiden Centre for East African Law (LEAC) has been awarded a grant of €25.000 by the EU delegation to the East African Community (EAC) and the Secretariat of the EAC.
The grant will be used to produce the first textbook on EAC law, in a comparative perspective with EU law, together with BRILL. To maximize the impact and availability of the book, for students as well as practitioners, judges, civil servants and other users, the book will be completely open access. It will be freely available globally for all, also allowing access via smartphones or e-readers, and hence connecting with the mobile revolution in Africa as well.
In addition, the grant supports the second annual LEAC conference, to be held in Arusha, Tanzania on 5 May, in the headquarters of the EAC itself. The conference, celebrating Europe day in Arusha, is entitled: ‘From Rules to Reality’: Creating a Legal Community for the EAC.’ It brings together judges, academics, legal practitioners, business people and government and EAC officials to explore the opportunities for building a legal community to support and inspire East African integration: What steps are needed to create a thriving legal community for the EAC? And how can such a community help transform EAC Treaty objectives into a living reality for East Africa and its citizens? The conference will combine EAC experiences with insights from EU integration on the importance of a vibrant and diverse legal community.
The LEAC is extremely grateful for this grant, and the acknowledgment it entails for its contribution to the process of regional integration in East Africa. A process that can make a major contribution to the peace and prosperity in the region, as it improves the rule of law, creates the conditions for trade and investment, stabilizes political relations, and generally helps to unleash the potential of East Africa.