The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in conjunction with the German Society for International Cooperation (GTI), today, announced that plans are at an advanced stage to start a cross boarder cash transfer program to the vulnerable people in communities living along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
This was disclosed, today, by a high powered IGAD/GTI team, who are on a one-week mission to open up a cross border office between Kenya and Ethiopia.
The Offices will facilitate accomplishment of an agreement made on March 2017, where IGAD and the German Government agreed to cooperate in addressing mobility and displacement challenges in the IGAD region.
The regional offices will also help in strengthening IGAD’s Migration Policy Implementation Project (SIMPI) owned by IGAD and GTZ.
The team which is led by IGAD/GIZ Coordinator, Ms Bedru Muzain, aims to build upon IGAD’s potential to provide comprehensive and durable solutions for people on the move.
Bedru said that there were the three fields which IGAD/GTZ which they will concentrate on mainly on regional coordination and implementation of policies where international, continental and regional framework on migration and displacement in IGAD Member States will be promoted.
She also said that the IGAD/GTZ in conjunction with institutes, will study on how migration and forced migrations are facilitated where a regional mechanism to harmonize the migration data through exchange of experiences.
“Strengthening capacities in cross border regions where IGAD and local authorities are supported to provide services to immigrants and host communities namely within the Kenya-Ethiopia border in Moyale and the Ethiopia-Sudan border at the Metema-Galabat areas which are among the two border migratory routes,” Bedru said.
She further added that the IGAD offices to be set up in these areas will be mandated to facilitate cross border cooperation to actors and the local government institutions in their respective clusters to foster development, especially in delivering social services, to the host communities.
Bedru also said that established offices were expected to bring together the cross border communities in enhancing joint planning and sharing cross border information and this will strengthen management resource mapping and harmonizing of policies with legal regimes.
She said the office will maintain coordination and linkages with regional and national coordination structures and centers.
The team includes staff from IGAD Headquarters in Djibouti who are experts in different fields, including data and public health experts amongst other fields.
By Gatana Muchira
