The five members of the East African Community (EAC) -Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi- are about to start a common market to usher free movement of goods, services and people in readiness for a political federation. A draft protocol on the establishment of the community's common market by 2010 has been released, in which, a recommendation on the recognition of certificates and diplomas as opposed to harmonisation of higher education in the five countries is stated. The protocol proposes that the starting point for the principle of mutual recognition of academic papers be higher education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of a given number of years across all professions.

The establishment of exchange programmes between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi will foster understanding in the integration of this region. Several efforts are being made to achieve this partnership; for example, the Kenyan Ministry of Education announced plans to cut the duration of degree programs from four to three years as a means of harmonising the country’s educational system with other East African Community (EAC) member states and European nations. In the case of Uganda, UNESCO released a report on the country’s efforts combatting corruption in its educational system, showing a big success in the battle.