The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania are the States that make up the East African Community (EAC). The EAC is an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Over 22 percent of the estimated 300 million residents of the EAC live in cities. Its realization carries tremendous strategic and geopolitical significance and opportunities for the revitalized and revived EAC. This is evident in that it has a land size of 4.8 million square kilometers and a combined Gross Domestic Product of US$ 240 billion (EAC Statistics for 2019). The organization was established in 1967, went out of existence in 1977, and was resurrected on July 7, 2000.
History
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have worked together. The East African High Commission (EAHC) formalized inter-territorial cooperation between the three nations in 1948. This established a common external tariff, currency, and postage in addition to a customs union. It also covered common services in education, research, and communications as well as transportation. Following independence, these integrated operations were reorganized, and the East African Common Services Organization (EACSO) took the place of the East African Health Council (EAHC). Many observers believed the event would result in a political union between the three states. Due to distinct political ideologies, a lack of coordinated planning and fiscal policy, and Kenya’s prevailing economic condition, the new organization encountered problems. The EACSO was replaced by the EAC in 1967. To ensure balanced economic growth within the region, this organization sought to strengthen relations between the members through a shared market, a common customs tariff, and a variety of public services.
The Fall of EAC
The EAC fell apart in 1977. The reasons for the collapse included Kenya’s demands for more seats in decision-making bodies than Uganda and Tanzania. There were also disagreements with Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, who demanded that Tanzania as an EAC member state should not harbor forces working to overthrow the government of another member state. The disparity between Tanzania’s socialist and Kenya’s capitalist economic systems also contributed to the collapse. The three-member states lost more than 60 years of cooperation and the advantages of economies of scale.
The Revival of EAC
The Treaty for East African Co-operation was signed on November 30, 1993, in Kampala by the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda which formed the tripartite Commission for Cooperation. A process of reintegration was started, encompassing tripartite programs of cooperation in the fields of politics, economics, social welfare, and culture. It also included the fields of research and technology, defense, and security, as well as the fields of law and justice. When the agreement for its re-establishment was signed on November 30, 1999, the EAC was once again in existence. 23 years after the demise of the previous community and its organs, it went into effect on July 7th, 2000. A customs union was established in March 2004 and went into effect on January 1st, 2005. Up until 2010, Kenya, the major exporter in the area, continued to pay tariffs on commodities entering the other four nations on a decreasing scale. Imported commodities from third-party nations will be subject to a uniform system of tariffs. Confederation, not a federation, was said to be the immediate goal on November 30, 2016.
Membership
The EAC’s Treaty, which created the Community, serves as the basis for its operations. After being ratified by the original three Partner States—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—it was signed on November 30, 1999, and it came into effect on July 7, 2000. The Republic of South Sudan joined the EAC Treaty on April 15, 2016, and on August 15, 2016, it became a full member. The Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Burundi joined the Treaty on June 18, 2007, becoming full members of the Community with effect from that date. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Community’s newest member, ratified the EAC Treaty on April 8, 2022.
Activities
The EAC is expanding and enhancing cooperation among the Partner States in numerous important fields for their mutual benefit as one of the world’s fastest-growing regional economic blocs. Political, economic, and social sectors are among them. The East African Customs Union is making encouraging strides, the Common Market was established in 2010, and the East African Monetary Union Protocol has been put into effect. This all shows that the regional integration process is currently in full motion.
Association with other trade blocs
The EAC is a crucial component of the African Economic Community. It agreed to an extended free trade area with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in 2008.
