The EU-EAC DEEP Project (EU-EAC Digital Economy, E-Commerce, E-Payments and E-Public Services Programme) is a 4 year project that started in June 2025. It is co-financed by the European Commission, the BMZ, France and Estonia, and implemented by GIZ, EstDev and Expertise France. The implementation is led by the GIZ EAC office in Arusha, Tanzania, but the project has team members in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda as well. The overarching goal of the EU-EAC DEEP is to accelerate a secure, interoperable, and inclusive regional digital market within the East African Community (EAC). By advancing digital trade and e-governance at continental, regional, and national levels, the initiative aims to deepen regional integration, scale up the EAC Common Market, and support the implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol. The programme is structured around five Specific Objectives (SOs) defining its core thematic focus: - SO1: Digital Transformation Strategy & Bankable Projects: Supporting the implementation of the overarching EAC Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS) with a focus on digital public infrastructure. A primary focus is bridging the gap between available financing and the lack of structured digital infrastructure proposals by designing "bankable" digital projects to attract public, private, and blended investments. - SO2: Cross-Border E-Commerce: Strengthening the implementation of the EAC E-Commerce Strategy. This theme addresses expanding digital trade platforms, reducing cross-border trade barriers, and promoting inclusive market access for businesses. - SO3: Interoperable Cross-Border E-Payments: Supporting the EAC Cross-Border Payment Systems Master Plan. Thematic activities focus on harmonizing national payment systems and building regional infrastructure to promote efficient, secure, and affordable cross-border retail transactions, mobile money interoperability, and instant payment networks. - SO4: E-Government Services & Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): Enhancing legal, institutional, and technical environments for e-governance. This targets the creation of cross-border DPI focusing on high-impact use-cases. - SO5: Cybersecurity Cooperation: Strengthening regional cooperation, capacity building, and harmonized protective frameworks on cybersecurity. The SOs are mutually interlinked and support each other. GIZ is the coordinating organisation and is implementing SOs 1-3. This service contract will be the core of the implementation of SO1; development of bankable projects for DPI. The EUD Uganda added a dedicated funding window to SO1 in Uganda, therefore a large share of the work will be taking place in Uganda, supporting the Ugandan Ministry of ICT and National Guidance in the development of a sovereign loan package on DPI. Finally, the Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Kenya has also added funding in the service contract to develop a bankable DPI project for Kenya, as part of their "DTC 2" project which is working with the Kenyan government to develop a roadmap on DPI and start its implementation.
