Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence 'The European Union and Regional Integration in the East African Community.

ended

Although the East African Community (EAC) is seen as the most advanced model of regional integration in Africa, much remains to be done to improve its workings and draw from the potentialities of this supranational construct. Creating a sense of belonging to a community of destiny is part of this challenge, in which Higher Education has a key role to play. The 'Jean Monnet in Africa' project proposes to establish a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMCoE) at the University of Bradford (UK), to provide a structure for intellectual reflection on the EU and the future of Africa, with emphasis on the role played by regional integration in achieving sustainable development, and promote its benefits via teaching, research and knowledge exchange in East Africa. The JMCoE brings together European and African experts in a programme of lectures and workshops on the benefits of regional integration in respect of the economy, society, security, peaceful co-existence and the reinforcing of democratic principles, and will design didactic materials to be delivered in East African universities. The JMCoE will collaborate closely with existing contacts in the Inter-University Council for East Africa, as the EAC is establishing an academic network between HE institutions in EAC Member States and a Centre in Regional Integration covering the East African region. It will contribute to shaping the new network and the Centre, provide expertise on the Jean Monnet model and on regional integration in the EU and the EAC. The EAC will benefit from their own academic framework inspired from the EU’s Jean Monnet Actions, which will enable them to promote values shared with the EU, and a sense of joint identity among the young East African generation. Bradford will benefit as a focal point on EU and EAC integration. Persons benefiting comprise students and lecturers in potentially up to 134 HEIs, policymakers, EU delegations, diplomats, government officials, researchers, think tanks, NGOs.