Somalia: Somalia has officially joined the East African Community (EAC) as the bloc’s eighth member. The move comes as Somali authorities aim to expand free trade across the region.
Somalia, which has a population of about 17 million, had sought to join the EAC for years. But its continuing political and economic instability has made some East African countries hesitant to grant it membership.
The entry of Somalia into the bloc will further boost the EAC market to more than 300 million people.
“We have decided to admit the Federal Republic of Somalia under the treaty of accession,” outgoing EAC chair, Burundian President, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, shared during a summit in Tanzania.
Somalia, whose President, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was at the summit, joined Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda in the regional bloc.
“Let us all embrace this new chapter in our history. This moment is not just a culmination of our aspirations but a beacon of hope for a future full of possibilities and opportunities,” Mr. Mohamud’s chief economic adviser posted on X.
The EAC, founded in 2000, aims to encourage trade by removing customs duties between member states.
Excluding Somalia, the combined EAC countries covered a land area of 4.8 million square kilometers and had a combined gross domestic product of $305 billion, as per the bloc’s website. The last member the group admitted before Somalia was the DRC.
Mogadishu-based think tank Heritage Institute for Policy Studies commented that the entry of Somalia, which has been seeking to join the bloc since 2012, was a “pivotal leap” in the EAC’s expansion across East Africa.
The think tank noted in a report before the summit that Somalia’s “poor track record in governance, human rights, and the rule of law” could hinder its smooth integration into the bloc.”
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