Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday, January 17 issued a rallying call to regional leaders, citing that it will require joint forces to end the current trade and investment bottlenecks in the region. ALSO READ: Trade barriers slowly being lifted: Will countries deliver on their promises? President Ruto was speaking to the East Africa Community (EAC) council of ministers, during a meeting he hosted in Nairobi, Kenya. Rwanda’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also part of the group led by its Chairman Ambassador Ezechiel Nibigira. ALSO READ: What will it take to eliminate barriers in intra-EAC regional trade? Also in attendance was Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the EAC and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano. “We have a common destiny as East Africa. We must, therefore, work together towards eliminating impediments to trade and investment within the region for the prosperity of the people,” President Ruto said in a tweet. Further details of the meeting had not been shared at the time of publication but reliable information indicates that most of the deliberations were centered around improving intra-EAC trade.