IGAD Convenes Regional Coordination Workshop to Accelerate Digital Integration Across Eastern Africa

September 24, 2026 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), together with the East African Community (EAC), the World Bank Group and the Government of Kenya, has concluded a three-day Regional Coordination Workshop on Accelerating Regional Digital Integration and Connectivity Across Eastern Africa, held at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi from 22 to 24 September 2026.

The workshop brought together Project Implementation Units and government representatives from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, alongside the EAC, IGAD and World Bank task-team leaders and technical experts, under the framework of the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP) and the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP). The event builds on the 2023 and 2024 EARDIP regional coordination workshops and follows the recent completion of mid-term reviews for EARDIP and KDEAP, offering an opportunity to accelerate implementation and deepen regional collaboration.

Delivering welcome remarks on behalf of IGAD, Dr. Mohyeldeen Eltohami Taha, Director of IGAD’s Economic Cooperation and Regional Integration Division, thanked the Government of Kenya for hosting the workshop and the World Bank for its continued partnership, before underscoring the strategic importance of digital integration to the region’s development agenda.

“For IGAD, regional digital integration is closely linked to our broader objective of strengthening regional economic cooperation and integration. Improved connectivity, interoperable digital systems, secure digital infrastructure and cross-border digital services can help reduce the cost of doing business, facilitate movement and trade, expand access to services, and connect businesses and communities across borders,” said Dr. Mohyeldeen Eltohami Taha,.