by ALLAN KISIA
Saturday November 25, 2023
Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi
Image: PCSP
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has congratulated Somalia on its admission into East African Community (EAC) on Friday.
Mudavadi, who is also the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary, said strengthening regional ties and fostering unity is key to unlocking the immense potential of East Africa.
“Together, we will build a brighter future for all our citizens,” Mudavadi said on X.
Somalia was admitted into EAC as the eighth member of the bloc, which seeks to expand free trade across the region.
With a population of 17 million, Somalia is expected increase the population of EAC market to more than 300 million people.
Somalia now joins Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda in the regional bloc.
"We have decided to admit the Federal Republic of Somalia under the treaty of accession," outgoing EAC chair, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, said at a summit of the grouping in Tanzania.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was at the summit.
EAC was founded in 2000 and works to encourage trade by removing customs duties between member states.
The treaty for establishment of the East African Community was signed on November 30, 1999, and entered into force on July 7, 2000 following its ratification by the original three partner States – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Rwanda and Burundi acceded to the EAC Treaty on June 18, 2007 and became full members of the Community with effect from July 1, 2007. South Sudan became a member in 2016.
On April 8, 2022, DRC formally joined EAC after the signing of the Treaty of the Accession of the DRC into the EAC in Nairobi.
The EAC aims at widening and deepening co-operation among the partner States in, among others, political, economic and social fields for their mutual benefit. To this extent, the EAC countries established a Customs Union in 2005.
The main services administered by the EAC include oversight of civil aviation, coordination of public health policy, promotion of Swahili as a regional language and funding sustainable development initiatives.
With the creation of the EAC Customs Union, the countries of the community pledged to maintain common customs and excise tariffs. They also agreed to allow freedom of movement within East Africa for goods originating in any of the partner states