This morning, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan in his capacity as the Chair of East African Community (EAC) arrived in Uganda to preside over the official admission of the Federal Republic of Somalia into EAC.
Basically, the event taking place at State House Entebbe is the signing ceremony of the accession by the Federal Republic of Somalia to the regional bloc.
Somalia with a population of 17 million was officially admitted to the bloc during the Ordinary Heads of State Summit (November 23-24) in Arusha.
“This moment is not just a culmination of our aspirations but a beacon of hope for a future full with possibilities and opportunities,” said the Chief Economic advisor to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
“The coastline of the East African Community will stretch almost 500,000 kilometres. And we look forward to more expansion; we are looking at Ethiopia, which has shown interest in joining the Community. So, at the end of the day, we are looking at a market of close to 700 million people,” said East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General Peter Mathuki.
The EAC, based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha was founded in 2000 and works to encourage trade by removing customs duties between member states.
Mogadishu-based think tank Heritage Institute for Policy Studies said the entry of Somalia – which has been seeking to join the bloc since 2012 – was a “pivotal leap” in the EAC’s expansion across East Africa.
But it said in a report before the summit that Somalia’s “poor track record in governance, human rights and the rule of law” could hinder its smooth integration into the bloc.
