Briefing Paper

Regional Aid Profile East Africa

This profile gives an analysis of the trends in Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the East Africa
region. It assesses disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in East Africa. The profile brings to the fore average Net ODA Received Per Capita of the region and also draws conclusions from the region’s average ODA as a percentage (%) of gross national income (GNI). The trends in ODA reviewed cover the period 2012 till to 2016. The profile concludes by giving policy recommendations. East Africa remains the fastest-growing sub-region in Africa, with estimated growth of 5.6 percent in 2017, up from 4.9 percent in 2016. Growth is expected to remain resilient, reaching 5.9 percent for 2018 and 6.1 percent in 2019. Strong growth is widespread in the sub-region, with many countries (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) growing at 5 percent or more. The most important drivers of growth in the region are private consumption, construction and public investment in infrastructure and expansion of services including ICT’s.