The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has urged the Republic of South Sudan to speed up the signing of the EAC Treaty to enhance integration with fellow partner states.

South Sudan is the newest member of the East African Community following a decision to admit the country by the EAC Heads of State.

The country was called upon to expeditiously ratify the treaty and deposit it with the office of the EAC Secretary General to formalize the cooperation and integration.

The regional legislators made the call during yesterday’s sitting in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

The members of parliament noted that with the latest addition to the Community, the bloc shall be expanded providing potential growth for the region of over 160 million citizens.

They noted that the development is also expected to promote business and general economic development as well as in stepping up towards the coveted African Unity.

EALA also noted that the in-coming Partner State will be expected to observe all the tenets of the EAC Treaty including those related to rule of law and governance in the entire dispensation.

The outgoing Secretary General of the EAC, Richard Sezibera said South Sudan had requested to join the EAC on a fast-track basis and that the capacity of the country went beyond just verification.

"We worked together to strengthen their capacity in terms of revenue collection and customs administration among other areas,” he said.