Arusha, Tanzania - The East African Community made progress over the last 25 years regarding expansion and the implementation of the single customs union and common market protocol, according to James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Charge of Regional Cooperation.

Speaking on behalf of the EAC Council of Ministers, the decision-making organ of the bloc, on Friday, November 29, he called for more regional effort to address the remaining challenges to unlock the bloc’s full potential. Kabarebe was speaking at a high-level side event to celebrate the silver jubilee of the EAC and to reflect on future of the Community.

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Kabarebe said that the milestone [the silver jubilee] highlights the resilience, the vision, and commitment of partner states and stakeholders to regional integration.

Over the past 25 years, the East African Community has expanded from three founding members to eight partner states, an affirmation of the appeal of regional cooperation, he said. However, this growth necessitates adjustments to ensure tangible benefits for all members, Kabarebe pointed out.

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"Significant progress has indeed been made in implementing the customs union, and common market protocol, cementing the East African Community’s position as a leading economic bloc in Africa. But intra-EAC trade remains low, underscoring the need to enhance collaboration, and deepen integration,” he said.

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"Challenges like non-tariff barriers, trade restrictions, and the absence of unified mechanisms to address external shocks are within our control and must be addressed. Dismantling these barriers will foster a more conducive business environment and unlock the region’s full potential.”

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For Kabarebe, the high-level event provides a vital platform for public and private sector actors to identify bottlenecks and propose actionable policy recommendations to enhance the EAC’s efficiency.

He reaffirmed Rwanda’s unwavering commitment to EAC’s integration agenda and the prosperity of the region, underscoring the importance of togetherness in building a more integrated, resilient, and prosperous East Africa.

The ever worsening security situation in eastern DR Congo, particularly the increase in hostilities between a government-led coalition and the M23 rebels, has raised fears that the Great Lakes Region could be sunk into a wider conflict.

An EAC regional force (EACRF) deployed to eastern DR Congo, in November 2022, with a mandate of supporting a peace process that would see the M23 withdraw. The regional force comprising troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan, managed to peacefully secure swathes of territory previously captured by the M23 rebels after their gradual withdrawal. In early 2023, the regional mission’s effort led to a ceasefire from March to September 2023.

However, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi wanted it to battle the M23 rebels, or if not, leave. As such, the first EACRF force commander was forced to resign citing a threat to his personal security and "a systematic plan to frustrate” the regional force. In December 2023, the Congolese government eventually expelled EACRF and replaced it with a SADC mission which is operating under an offensive mandate.

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According to the EAC Secretariat, under the customs union pillar, the implementation of the single customs territory resulted in the drastic reduction of the period taken to clear goods from over 20 days to three or four days on the central corridor, and from 21 to four days from Mombasa to Kampala, and from 18 days to six days to Kigali, on the northern corridor.

The central corridor (1,300 km long) is an essential transport route in the region that commences at the port of Dar es Salaam and serves Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and eastern DR Congo.

The northern corridor (1,700 km long) is an important transport route commencing from the port of Mombasa and serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DR Congo.

Data from the EAC Secretariat shows that, in 2023, total global merchandise trade by the EAC grew by 2.37 per cent, valued at more than $80 billion and that intra-EAC total trade similarly grew by 13.1 per cent to $12.1 billion in 2023.

The percentage share of intra-EAC trade to EAC total trade (including its imports from and exports to other parts of the world) was 15 per cent, meaning that the bloc trades more with the rest of the world than with itself, and faces a high trade imbalance or deficit.